When most people think of the conditions needed for wildfires to grow, marine pushes aren’t the first thing to come to mind. Our famous summertime “natural air conditioning” brings a thick layer of morning clouds and keeps nighttime temperatures in 50s even in the heart of summer. But it also brings very windy conditions to the eastern Columbia River Gorge, hence the existence of the many wind farms between The Dalles and Hermiston. And when a blaze is started, these winds help it grow at a terrifying rate.
Retrieved from dailywireless.org, article written by Sam Churchill
The Substation Fire
The Substation Fire (yes, that is the official name, and it sucks!) began on Tuesday 7/17 near a substation just east of The Dalles. Investigators are currently unsure on the cause of the fire but believe it may have been lit intentionally. Once the fire was lit, it quickly spread SE through the surrounding wheat fields Tuesday through Thursday as strong winds rushed through the Columbia River Gorge.
Credit: “Incident Management Team” assigned to the fire (unsure of specifics). Retrieved from the Substation Fire 2018 Facebook Page
Our new GOES-16 satellite captured the evolution of this fire in breathtaking detail. Take a look at how the fire spread Tuesday/Wednesday afternoon-night as the strong marine pushes made their way through the Columbia River Gorge. Notice the burn scar from Tuesday night on Wednesday morning and how fast the fire grew Wednesday evening as onshore flow picked up once more. By Friday morning, onshore flow had weakened enough that we were no longer seeing substantial growth, and onshore flow will weaken further through the weekend as a ridge of high pressure settles overhead. As of Saturday morning 7/21, the fire has scorched over 80,000 acres, is 44% contained, and has unfortunately taken the life of 64-year-old John Ruby, who was killed trying to build a fire line to prevent the fire from advancing onto his neighbor’s property.
Credit: College of Dupage GOES-16 Satellite Imagery
Credit: College of Dupage GOES-16 Satellite Imagery
Credit: College of Dupage GOES-16 Satellite Imagery
Credit: College of Dupage GOES-16 Satellite Imagery
Credit: College of Dupage GOES-16 Satellite Imagery
But while a relative break in winds will help firefighters contain this fire, the hot and dry weather will further dry the vegetation around the area and increase our chances of destructive blazes going forward. A burn ban prohibiting campfires is currently in effect for all Oregon State Parks and several in SW Washington and the Washington Cascades, and I imagine these bans will only get more widespread as we head into August.
For the latest information on the fire, you can check the USDA Forest Service “Active Fire Mapping Program” website and the Substation Fire’s Facebook Page. The Pendleton NWS is also extensively covering the fire, as it is within their domain. Finally, you can call the Incident Management Team assigned to the fire for the latest info.
USDA Forest Service Active Fire Mapping Website: fsapps.nwcg.gov
Substation Fire Facebook Page: facebook.com/SubstationFire2018
Pendleton NWS Forecast Office: weather.gov/pdt
Pendleton NWS Facebook Page: facebook.com/NWSPendleton
Pendleton NWS Twitter Page: twitter.com/NWSPendleton
Incident Management Team assigned to fire: (503) 597-8076
As previously mentioned, it’s going to get really hot next week, with highs in the mid-upper 90s in Portland from Sunday-Tuesday, cooling to the lower 90s for the rest of the week. I’ll have more in a different blog soon.
Charlie
2 Comments
Charlie, I’ve been reading about an increase in volcanic activity in Yellowstone that has closed the park. Do you know if this is true or just hype?
Hi Cathie, there was an increase recently – a fissure was noticed in Grand Teton National Park, which is slightly south of Yellowstone. This type of stuff happens all the time though, Yellowstone is a very geologically active region. Unfortunately, whenever there’s a little bit of activity, some rather unscrupulous news organizations try to imply that the recent activity means Yellowstone, a supervolcano, is more likely to blow, but this is not the case.