On Saturday, there were 18 significant fires burning in the states of Oregon and Washington, leading to evacuations and targeted power disruptions in Oregon as dry and windy conditions persisted in the region.
According to the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center, there are over 406 square miles of active, uncontained fires across the two states, which are being fought by roughly 5,000 people on the ground.
According to the National Interagency Fire Center, there are more than 90 active fires around the country, including in Montana, California, and Idaho. According to scientists, climate change has caused the West to get warmer and drier over the past three decades, and will continue to make the weather more intense and wildfires more catastrophic.
At dusk on September 9, 2022, a helicopter transports water on a longline to a wildfire near Salem, Oregon. According to Erica Fleishman, director of the Oregon Climate Change Research Institute at Oregon State University, climate change is bringing drier conditions to the Pacific Northwest, necessitating techniques that have been used in fire-prone California for at least a decade. Andrew Selsky / AP
The lightning-sparked Goat Rocks Fire south of Mount Rainier National Park in Washington state has caused the closure of U.S. Route 12 and the evacuation of residences east of Packwood. Several villages in Cowlitz County were also ordered to evacuate in response to the Kalama fire in Gifford Pinchot National Forest southwest of Mount St. Helens.
Saturday, another mountain pass on U.S. Highway 2 was closed due to the Bolt Creek Fire, which prompted the evacuation of 300 to 400 homes, dropped ash in Everett, and blew smoke into the Seattle suburbs.
According to the Washington State Department of Natural Resources, this fire expanded rapidly during the day, tripling in size in roughly two hours to approximately 3 square miles and consuming timber in a tough terrain.
Peter Mongillo, a spokesman for Snohomish Regional Fire and Rescue who was present as part of the incident command center, stated that high-voltage transmission lines owned by Bonneville Power Administration that traverse the Cascade Mountains were at risk due to the amount of smoke and particulate matter in the air, which can damage the lines.
In a phone interview, he stated, “It raises the likelihood of arcing and sparking a fire or possibly shutting down the power line.”
Mongillo stated that it was suggested that Bonneville turn off the lines, but he stated that for the time being Bonneville is keeping the lines on and would continue to watch the situation.
Bonneville spokesperson Kevin Wingert stated that there are three lines in the area and that there is currently no operational or safety need to take them out of service due to the location and density of the smoke.
Wingert stated that if these lines were to be taken out of service owing to a change in conditions, there would likely be no interruption in service for customers due to the presence of additional transmission lines. Bonneville clients include both Puget Sound Energy, which serves Seattle and other areas, and Snohomish County Public Utility District.
Through Sunday night, a red flag warning remains in force in Washington, indicating that high temperatures, low humidity, and strong winds may exacerbate fire conditions.
Late Friday night in Oregon, the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office issued an evacuation order for Milo McIver State Park, located about 24 miles southeast of Portland. Residents of numerous villages west of the park were notified early Saturday morning to be prepared to evacuate.
In an effort to reduce the risk of additional fires, Portland General Electric first cut power to approximately 30,000 customers in 12 service regions, but by Saturday, that figure had climbed to more than 37,000. By late Saturday afternoon, the number had decreased to approximately 30,000. More than 7,000 customers in a small Pacific Coast village where a wildfire occurred two years ago and in pockets southeast of the state capital of Salem were left without power. On Saturday, the number of Pacific Power customers without service rose to 12,000.
The Double Creek Fire in the northeastern portion of the state near the Idaho border is the largest fire in Oregon. The fire has consumed more than 230 square miles as of Saturday. Overnight, the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center reported that the fire expanded by 65 square miles.
The Cedar Creek Fire east of Oakridge has consumed roughly 81 square miles in central Oregon. Officials issued an evacuation order for the larger Oakridge, Westfir, and High Prairie residents on Friday due to increased fire activity.
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