Crews make progress on fire near Odell

An interagency group of about 90 firefighters are working on scene to reinforce a line around the entire fire, as well as knock down hotspots.

The fire is burning in brush and dense second growth Douglas-fir on steep terrain about eight miles south of Hood River, Oregon Department of Forestry’s The Dalles Unit.

No homes are currently in danger. Nearby residents could smell smoke from their homes.

On Thursday, crews set up on scene at the shooting range on Neal Creek Road, several miles southeast from Highway 35. The fire had scorched an adjacent hill, with a column of smoke rising on the other side of its forested slope.

The cause of the fire is under investigation. A state investigator from Prineville is traveling to the scene today to look into the cause. Yesterday, Hood River County Sheriff’s detective Marc Smith collected evidence on scene, including several empty shell casings for potential DNA analysis.

Smith said witnesses reported a cloud of dust rising from a vehicle taking off south away from the scene. However, investigators don’t have a suspect in the cause of the fire at this time. Details about the vehicle weren’t immediately available.

Resources on scene yesterday included ten fire engines from Wy’East Fire District, ODF, Bureau of land Management and U.S. Forest Service and additional engines, a dozer, two Single Engine Air Tankers, one helicopter, and three heavy air tankers.

Planes dropped heavy swaths of fire retardant and a helicopter dropped water on the blaze.

By about 8 p.m., the spread of the fire had been halted.