KWSO News Tue., Sep. 8, 2020

The Lionshead fire has burned 20,600 acres. In Monday evening’s report, it said it had crossed the crest north of Mount Jefferson and was proceeding along the north ridge of the Britenbush River, reaching Bear Point.  The fire made its initial run late Monday afternoon as the winds increased.  The fire made a 4 mile run in just 2 hours.  The spot fire that occurred on Saturday burned back toward the east back into the main fire. Pacific Northwest Team 3, a Type 1 team, has joined Team 10 to assist with the increased complexity of these fires and has assumed command.

Warm Springs was covered in smoke yesterday and a majority of the smoke was actually from major fires burning in North Central Washington. There is expected to be gusty & smoky conditions in Warm Springs and surrounding areas up to this evening. On Wednesday, prevailing winds start to return from the West.

The P-515 fire has burned 4609 acres.  Firefighters continue to mop up.

ODOT says Wildfires have closed OR 22 between Stayton and U.S. 20 Santiam Junction, and OR 126 McKenzie Highway between Vida and OR 242. Evacuations are underway in both areas. Watch for fire crews. Check TripCheck.com for alternate routes and drive with extreme caution.

A fast-moving Klamath County wildfire discovered Monday night on the Chiloquin Ranger District of the Fremont-Winema National Forest moved three miles over the course of the evening, spreading to more than 1,000 acres with no containment by midnight. The Two Four Two fire, as it’s now called, jumped U.S. 97 burning on both sides, exhibiting “extreme fire behavior,” officials said. It prompted immediate evacuations for Collier State Park and people who live nearby. More nearby residents have been told to prepare for an evacuation.

Almost every structure in the small farming town of Malden in eastern Washington state was destroyed by a fast-moving fire Monday as high winds created what officials described as a firestorm. According to the Whitman County Sheriff’s Office, 80% of the town’s structures were destroyed. The town of about 200 people is 35 miles south of Spokane in an agricultural region known as the Palouse. Malden lost its fire station, post office, city hall, library and most of its homes, according to the sheriff’s office.

Elsewhere in Washington, the Pearl Hill fire and Cold Springs Fire have burned 174,572 acres with no containment.

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Hurricane-force winds in the Pacific Northwest are making fighting wildfires extremely challenging. The winds and hot temperatures are kicking up wildfires across parts of Washington and Oregon, burning nearly 300,000 acres just Monday in Washington. Forecasters expect winds of 75 miles per hour to turn small fires into huge ones. The small town of Malden in eastern Washington is mostly destroyed. And the power company has cut electricity to communities around Mount Hood in Oregon as a precaution. Dangerous conditions are expected to continue Tuesday and Wednesday. This forecasted fire weather is extremely rare and occurs only a few times a century.

COVID-19 has claimed one more life in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll to 482, the Oregon Health Authority reported on Monday. Oregon Health Authority reported 154 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 bringing the state total to 28,190.