Oregon wildfire destroys homes and forces evacuations

A rapidly spreading blaze on the northern edge of Oregon, called the Rowena fire, ignited Wednesday, destroying 20 homes, shutting down a section of a highway and causing authorities to declare evacuation orders. By Thursday morning, the wind-driven fire had grown to 3,500 acres and was zero percent contained.

“Fueled by seasonably record-low fuel moistures and gusty winds, the fire poses a serious and ongoing threat to lives, property and critical infrastructure,” the Oregon State Fire Marshal said in a statement Thursday.

The blaze was reported Wednesday afternoon next to the Columbia River, which flows on the border with the state of Washington. By 8 p.m., it had burned about 2,500 acres after tripling in size within roughly an hour, Oregon’s Department of Emergency Management said.

The Wasco County Sheriff’s Office ordered residents in more than 730 homes in the surrounding area to evacuate and closed a section of Interstate 84, which connects Portland to Idaho. Firefighters were conducting controlled burns to slow the fire’s spread into the night.

Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek invoked the Emergency Conflagration Act on Wednesday afternoon, mobilizing the state fire marshal to fight the Rowena Fire. The blaze was the largest active fire in Oregon late Wednesday.

Smaller wildfires were burning along the Columbia River west of the Rowena Fire, causing additional road closures on I-84 and Highway 30. An emergency shelter was set up at The Dalles Middle School, the sheriff’s office said.

The fire ignited amid dry, warm weather with winds of 30 mph to 40 mph.

“With those gusts you’re going to see more efficient fire spread,” said Matt Callihan, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

Callihan said the vegetation in the region was parched and ready to burn after unusually dry weather in the spring.

The winds are expected to be slightly less strong today. While warm, dry weather is forecast over the weekend, the winds are likely to be light and calm.

Relief is expected from the extreme fire weather next week, with a chance for rain Monday and Tuesday.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.