[THE DALLES, Ore.]
Today firefighters on the Fir Mountain Fire were challenged with wind
and dry vegetation as they used dozers and hand crews to construct fireline on
the fire perimeter. Air resources,
including large air tankers and water scooping aircraft were used throughout
the day to support ground resources in efforts to control the spread of the
fire. The fire has grown to approximately
250 acres this evening, burning on private forestland and Hood River County
ownership.
The fire is located eight miles southeast of Hood
River, burning east from Fir Mountain Road toward Godberson Road. Single tree torching and spotting across the
fireline has hampered efforts to secure the perimeter in some areas. Dozers are being used to construct fireline where
the terrain allows, and hand crews are working in areas where slope limits
access for equipment.
In addition to the fixed wing aircraft and helicopters
working on the fire today resources included three dozers, four tenders, six
hand crews, five wildland fire engines, and numerous overhead. These include contract resources, Wy’East
Fire, Mosier Fire, Hood River Fire, Parkdale Fire, Mount Hood National Forest, and
Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area.
The Hood River and Wasco County Sheriff’s offices are working with incident
command to ensure public safety in the fire area.
A Type 3 Team from Central Oregon Fire Management
Service will take command of the fire this evening. Resources will staff the fire tonight, taking
advantage of cooler temperatures and humidity recovery but will continue to
experience strong winds on the exposed ridgetops. Firefighters will be focusing
to secure existing fireline and minimize spread of the fire.
The fire was reported late Saturday night and is
currently under investigation.
ODF’s Central Oregon District continues to serve
landowners and the public as an essential service for Oregonians. Please call or email to talk with our staff
or schedule an appointment. For
additional information on ODF’s Central Oregon District, including contact
information and unit offices, please visit www.ODFcentraloregon.com.
