Oregon crews on Eagle Creek Fire save Multnomah Lodge/Montana blaze grows to 120,000 acres

wildfire-graphic

Some of the more than 900 personnel battling the large wildfire in the Columbia River Gorge have saved the historic lodge at the base of Oregon’s Multnomah Falls.

The Eagle Creek Fire has torched some 31,000 acres and forced evacuations, with officials establishing an evacuation shelter at Mt. Hood Community College in Gresham.  There was some fire growth overnight as firefighters worked to secure lines near Cascade Locks and Bridal Veil by conducting burnout operations.  Westerly winds picked up in the evening causing a few small spot fires, but they were within secondary fire lines.

A 45-mile stretch of Interstate 84 east of Portland remains closed to vehicle traffic from Troutdale to The Dalles, and Oregon State Route 14 is open as an alternate roadway to passenger vehicles only.

Authorities continue to investigate the suspicion the fire was caused by fireworks.  (AP)

 

Meanwhile, a Montana wildfire being allowed to burn has now consumed more than 120,000 acres.

The Rice Ridge Fire is northeast of Missoula near Seeley Lake.  While evacuation orders are being downgraded, the blaze is only 2 percent contained.  The

The Lolo Peak Fire continues to burn north of the Idaho border, west of Highway 93 near the town of Florence.

The blaze is 49,000 acres in size and about 31 percent contained, as it burns actively on several fronts.

An evacuation order is in effect for all residents in an area west of Highway 93 on the north side of Bass Creek Road.

Some 17,000 acres have been blackened by the Ibex Fire burning west of Challis, Idaho, eleven miles west of Twin Peaks Lookout in the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness.  (AP)