Eagle Creek Fire: Containment On Schedule; Fire Suppression Repair Going 'According To Plan'

CASCADE LOCKS, OR — Dry weather conditions in the Columbia River Gorge this week are reportedly helping fire crews with suppression repair efforts, which fire officials said Tuesday are "on track to be completed according to plan."

On Oct. 3, fire officials said work is nearly complete in two of the five divisions, though work on the westside was held up some by heavy precipitation in the area over the last week. As the soil dries out, work will continue, officials said. Heavy rains last week increased hazards for fire crews by creating a greater potential for landslides and mudslides, as well as falling rocks and other debris.

This week, heavy equipment was able to move back into the burn zone to assist with repair and suppression efforts.

The Eagle Creek Fire was assessed over the past week by the Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) team, which will reportedly release its Soil Burn Severity map later this week. Yesterday the team gave some indication of what's going on across the Eagle Creek Fire burn area, noting more than half the burn scar suffered low burn severity — meaning much of the burn scar suffered little noticeable fire damage; about 15 percent was destroyed entirely.

The team is now creating maps to show areas with a higher potential for landslides and increased runoff and stream flows following the fire, officials said. Additionally, the team will evaluate which public landmarks and infrastructure face the highest risk as part of calculating how much emergency funding will need to be requested from the federal government for repair work.

Isolated smoke is expected, officials said, though fire activity itself is minimal and not expected to increase.

Officials are also looking forward to another weekend of cooler temps and possible showers. Rain is currently expected to roll into the region by Friday night and continue through Saturday.

Photo Courtesy: Northwest Interagency Coordination Center, InciWeb