Major Oregon interstate closed for 70 miles due to wildfire

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Part of a major interstate highway in Oregon was closed Monday due to a wildfire that forced a small town to evacuate, one of dozens of blazes burning across the state.

The Fox Fire forced the closure of Interstate 84 for some 70 miles (113 kilometers) between Baker City and Ontario near the Idaho state line before reopening later in the day, the Oregon Department of Transportation said. I-84 is a key thoroughfare, running from Portland in the west through the Columbia River Gorge and into eastern Oregon before crossing the Snake River eastward through Boise.

The transportation department said the wildfire remains active in the area and that intermittent closures were still possible.

Challenging wildfires have burned across the Western U.S. this summer, following months of dry weather, a record lack of snow in some areas, hot spells and erratic winds. Federal authorities announced Saturday that a fourth firefighter died of his injuries after he and several colleagues were overcome last month by a fast-moving wildfire near the Colorado-Utah border.

The Fox Fire was burning near the Oregon-Idaho state line about 12 miles (19 kilometers) northeast of the small town of Huntington, which was under a Level 3 “Go Now” evacuation order, meaning its roughly 500 residents have been told to leave immediately.

Fueled by hot, dry and breezy conditions, the fire has scorched nearly 72 square miles (186 square kilometers) and was 0% contained as of Monday.

Huntington Mayor Chuck Guerri said the fire flared up early Monday morning near the east side of town, estimating it got within 250 feet (76 meters) of the nearest home before firefighters got a handle on that portion of the blaze. The smoke was so thick you could taste it, he said.

“We did send the alarm and went around knocking on doors on the east end of town to try to get people out of here, because it was coming in pretty quick,” he said. “But we had some good crews here, and they got it knocked down pretty quickly.”

The town’s fire chief injured his head and back over the weekend while responding to the blaze after the fire truck he was driving rolled over, Guerri said, adding that he was airlifted to receive medical treatment.

Officials are continuing to keep a close eye on the fire beyond town, which is surrounded by grassy rangeland, he said.

“We want to make sure that they can keep that contained out there and not turn into something else,” Guerri said.

With aircraft potentially grounded due to limited visibility from the smoke, firefighters were building bulldozer lines around Huntington near a railroad that also runs through the area to protect critical infrastructure, authorities said.

Elsewhere in eastern Oregon, the state transportation department’s website showed a rural stretch of U.S. Route 20 was also closed Monday due to wildfire for nearly 70 miles, between the small cities of Burns and Vale.

In central Oregon, the Akawa Butte Fire was deemed a top priority for firefighting in recent days due to its proximity — about 5 miles (8 kilometers) — to Sisters, a small city of about 3,000 people. While authorities said Sunday that fire activity had decreased across much of the blaze, part of the town is still under an evacuation notice, with residents told to be prepared to leave if necessary.