Temperatures may be getting much cooler as the calendar moves into autumn, but the risk of wildfires has not significantly diminished. A grass fire that started Wednesday night on Doane Road south of The Dalles vividly demonstrates the point.

A house fire in The Dalles Friday morning was soon followed by a brush fire in the afternoon. Bryan Hanson got home just in time Friday morning or else the fire that did most of its damage in the laundry room could have been much worse. After running errands downtown, Hanson said he heard the smoke alarm before he even pulled into his house on 2110 East 14th Street in The Dalles.