The Tunnel 5 wildfire that sparked Sunday in Skamania County grew hundreds of acres overnight, burning at least 10 homes and stirring evacuation orders for around 1,000 people.
It remains unclear what exactly caused the fire along the Columbia River Gorge, but fire officials said it started around 11:19 a.m. near several homes. Witnesses began calling the Skamania County Sheriff’s Office, which sent electronic alerts and went door-to-door to neighboring homes.
Fire officials said in an interview Monday that the blaze started “adjacent” to multiple houses.
“Just due to the location of it, and the proximity of structures and houses, is why of course it did go to (evacuation) pretty quickly,” said Heather Appelhof, a spokesperson for the patchwork of government agencies working to extinguish the fire.
Ten homes have burned up and 250 more are in danger, according to a public database run by the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center, which quarterbacks firefighting efforts in the region. Fifteen businesses and dozens more other structures are also close to the flames.
Appelhof said those numbers are estimates from
Monday evening. Crews are working to verify the numbers.
Four helicopters flew in Monday morning to help, Appelhof said, dumping water from the nearby Columbia River. In nearby waters of the same river, scores of people swam and enjoyed water sports to celebrate the Fourth of July.
“It’s a very popular area and when we have our aircraft out there trying to dip water, too, that’s another challenge that we’re looking at,” she said. “It just ups the complexity.”
Boots-on-the-ground firefighters focused much of their efforts on defending structures. Crews were dispatched from around the Washington town of Carson. Support staff spent much of the day transforming a local middle school into a command center and base camp.
The fire is burning on steep terrain, fueled by dry brush and timber. Appelhof described it as a challenging fire. With forecasts spelling out a hot week, she said, it’s expected to continue growing.
This is a developing story and may be updated.
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