Eagle Creek Fire: Still Actively Burning On Eastside; Drier Weather Could Increase Visible Smoke

CASCADE LOCKS, OR — Despite dropping between 3 and 6 inches of rain over the past week, weather in the Columbia River Gorge hasn't been enough to completely snuff out the Eagle Creek Fire — which is currently holding at 46 percent containment with just more than 48,600 acres burned.

The fire has shown little growth this week, officials said, but as the sky clears and temperatures rise to the upper 70s and lower 80s this weekend, Oregon State Fire Marshal officials expect folks in the gorge to see smoke emanating from the fire's Eastside on Shellrock Mountain, where the terrain — which went from rocky and steep to rocky, wet, and steep — has created challenges for firefighting crews.

Fire officials reportedly have heavy machinery on standby while they wait for the now soft, muddy ground to dry up some. In the meantime, officials said, hand crews will continue to clean up woody debris and perform "low stumping" operations, meaning they'll cut tree stumps as low to the ground as possible.

It appears a focus will be placed on the fire's eastern side, as that's where the most fire activity has occurred over the past week. But how much work will be accomplished, and whether crews will able to establish a hand line in the area, is dependent on ground conditions and also whether fire crews will be able to safely engage the fire while maintaining safe egress options.

Fire crew numbers decreased slightly from Thursday to Friday, with personnel now totaling 158 people.

Evacuations haven't changed since Sept. 18, and eastbound Interstate-84 remains closed.

Oregon Department of Transportation crews continue to repair roadside conditions along I-84's eastbound lanes, but no time estimate is currently available for when the highway might reopen completely. ODOT officials reopened westbound lanes last weekend.

Photo Courtesy: Northwest Interagency Coordination Center, InciWeb