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A 90-minute drive from Portland, fire season has already begun.
On May 31, a brush fire sparked near Pinewood Mobile Manor in the Dalles. It rapidly spread to 170 acres, jumping Interstate 84 and briefly placing the area under evacuation orders.
The fire is now contained, and with the exception of an abandoned pump house, there was no major property damage or injuries. But it’s an early and foreboding start to Oregon’s fire season.
According to Jay Wood, a Mid-Columbia Fire & Rescue division chief, a large fire this early in the year isn’t unheard of, but it is unusual. A combination of strong winds and the statewide drought contributed to the fire’s swift spread.
“This is a more mid-July- to August-type fire,” says Wood. “If it wasn’t in an area where it ran out of fuel, we’d still be fighting it.”
The report of the fire’s cause has yet to be released, but Wood says it was not intentionally ignited.
Stan Hinatsu, a U.S. Forest Service officer for the Columbia Gorge Scenic Area, says a large fire this early in the year is cause for caution.
“It doesn’t bode well for fire season to start earlier,” says Hinatsu. “Who knows? You can’t predict what’s going to happen. But there is potential for more, larger fires.”
Hinatsu urges Oregonians to practice common sense when it comes it outdoor fire safety.
“These things can ignite very quickly,” he says. “It’s drier than normal and it’s not going to get better.”