Eagle Creek Fire: Federal Firefighting Funds Secured; Fire 7 Percent Contained

CASCADE LOCKS, OR — The wildfire smoke that has choked the Portland metro region for nearly a week is giving way to overcast and cooler temperatures Friday, as firefighting crews in the Columbia River Gorge continue to smother the Eagle Creek Fire, which is now 7 percent contained.

The Eagle Creek Fire began near Cascade Locks around 4 p.m. Sept. 2 after a 15-year-old boy from Vancouver, Washington, allegedly threw a firework into the Eagle Creek Canyon. Oregon State Police have not announced any formal arrests or charges, though the fire investigation reportedly continues. Between Saturday and Tuesday, the fire grew roughly 10,000 acres.

WATCH: Twitter user @JuliusChoong reportedly captured the moment the Eagle Creek Fire began. (Warning: video has language some may find offensive)

At a morning briefing Sept. 8, state, county, and city officials provided updates to various aspects of the fire, which is now currently burning more than 33,000 acres between Corbett and Cascade Locks.

Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden praised bipartisan efforts in Washington D.C. to secure $7 billion in federal aid for fire relief as part of a $15 billion package for the Federal Emergency Management Agency's disaster relief fund, the language for which was primarily focused on the hurricanes in Texas and Florida. House representatives on Thursday approved senate-introduced amendments focused specifically on fire relief; the bill now awaits President Donald Trump's signature.

U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management spokeswoman Traci Weaver said fire crews continue to work hard protecting the Bull Run watershed and stymieing the fire's westward push toward Corbett. A spot fire popped up at the tip of the watershed area Thursday, Weaver said, adding that Chinook helicopters on Thursday began making bucket drops near Cascade Locks.

U.S. Coast Guard Lt. Cmdr. Laura Springer asked for recreational boaters and wind surfers north of the fire area to give the helicopters a wide berth as they dip the buckets into the Columbia River, and she said Columbia River traffic is being reopened on a case-by-case basis.

Multnomah County Sheriff Mike Reese announced all evacuation levels previously issued remain in place, but that county officials are watching the firefighting progress closely so they can let evacuated residents know the moment it's been determined safe for them to return home. Reese also said all previously issued evacuation notices remain in place.

• Interstate-84 is closed from exit 17 in Troutdale to roughly 2 miles west of Hood River, around milepost 62.
• Multnomah County officials have issued Level 3 (meaning leave right now) evacuations for Larch Mountain and the communities of Bridal Veil, Corbett (east of the 38700 block of Columbia River Highway), Dodson, Latourell and Warrendale.
• Corbett/Springdale, west of 38700 block of the Columbia River Highway to the Sandy River, has been set at Level 2 (meaning be ready to evacuate at a moment's notice).
• Troutdale east of Southeast 257th Avenue and north of Southeast Stark Street has been given Level 1 evacuation orders (meaning get your stuff ready to go).
• Mt. Hood Community College, 3691 N.E. 17th Drive, has been turned into an evacuation shelter for the time being with help from the Red Cross, officials said. Anyone evacuating due to fire is encouraged to go there. However, the campus is close to the newly established evacuation area in Troutdale. What that will mean going forward is unknown at this time.
• Hood River County officials raised all previously issued Level 1 notices in Cascade Locks to Level 2, and on Friday added a new Level 1 area around the city of Dee.
• The border of the new Level 1 alert begins south of Dee along Collins Road and moves Northeast all the way to Interstate-84.
• Also on Friday, a Level 2 alert was extended east from the Northeast half of Cascade Locks to Viento State Park along the I-84 corridor. Officials said this includes the In-Lieu site and the whole area of Wyeth.
• Other areas affected by the increase to Level 2 includes all areas north of Wa Na Pa to the Columbia River and on the east end of Hood River north of I-84 to the river, as well as Forest Lane and intersecting roads, running east to Government Cove.
• Level 3 evacuations are in place for all residents south of I 84 in the Cascade Locks. An evacuation shelter is located at the Skamania County Fairgrounds in Stevenson, Washington, across the Columbia River.

According to the American Red Cross' Monique Dugaw, roughly 200 people are receiving Red Cross aid between the two evacuation shelter locations.

The Northwest Interagency Coordination Center reports more than 5,000 residences are threatened within the evacuation zones and that four residences so far have been destroyed by fire.

Oregon Department of Transportation's Ryan Windsheimer said there have been no signs of significant damage to roads or bridges in the Eagle Creek Fire evacuation area, though thousands of trees along Interstate-84 will need to be removed before the highway can safely reopen to commuters. ODOT crews will begin removing the trees when it's safe, Windsheimer said, noting that project specifically as "high priority." There is no current estimate, however, for when I-84 will reopen.

Altogether, more than 900 people are actively fighting the Eagle Creek Fire, including 93 fire engines and 10 helicopters.

For more Eagle Creek Fire coverage on Patch, check out the following links:

• Scorched Earth: Time-Lapse Video Shows Rapid Spread Of Eagle Creek Fire
• 'Giggling Kids With Fireworks' Responsible For Eagle Creek Fire, Witness Says
• Eagle Creek Fire Suspect Is 15-Year-Old Washington Boy: Oregon State Police
• Massive Eagle Creek Fire Merged With 1,000-Acre Indian Creek Fire Overnight
• Eagle Creek Fire: Air Quality Improving; Fire 5 Percent Contained

Photo Courtesy: Northwest Interagency Coordination Center, InciWeb