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Most Likely Human-Caused Wildfire Forces Evacuations in Dufur

You are currently viewing Most Likely Human-Caused Wildfire Forces Evacuations in Dufur
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DUFUR, Oregon — Thursday morning, the South Valley Fire burning southwest of Dufur Oregon measured 15,000 acres. The wildfire is 5% contained.

Officials from the Oregon State Fire Marshall’s Office and the Oregon Department of Forestry held a news conference on the fire Thursday morning.

According to the Department of Forestry, the wind is blowing the fire southeast, and it might be a threat for 80 to 100 homes. The number of evacuees reached hundreds of people.

The following evacuation orders remain in place for the Dufur fire:

Level 3 Evacuations: Mandatory Evacuations

The Wasco County Sheriff’s Office says residents in the following areas need to leave NOW:

Dufur Gap Road
All of Tygh Ridge Road
Shell Rock Road to Winslow Road
South Valley Road south to Friend Road
83000 blk of Rail Hollow Road to the forest boundary
Hix Road, Kingsley Road and all points in between; from Hwy 197 to the forest boundary

Level 2 Evacuations: Preparing to Evacuate

The area north of “the blinking light” (Hwy 197 & 216) to Conroy Road and the top of Sherar’s Bridge which includes Hulse Road.

The Oregon Department of Forestry could not emphasize enough how important it is for people to obey the evacuation orders. They said they want to focus on controlling the fire, not on recovery efforts.

The fire has already burned structures, but as of Thursday morning, the Oregon Department of Forestry did not know how many were destroyed.

According to the investigators, the fire is most likely human-caused. It started on South Valley Road around 1:30 p.m. Wednesday.

The fire is burning in oak and ponderosa pine trees and grass and wheat fields.

A red flag wildfire warning remains in effect Thursday.

The fire had closed a 20-mile stretch of Highway 197 south of Dufur. However, there was a reopening of the fire Thursday morning. The area’s monitoring process will be continued by Oregon Department of Transportation.

There is a Red Cross shelter open for evacuees at The Dalles Middle School.

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