SOME
SOME FAMILIES. LET'S GET RIGHT OUT TO KGW'S
CHRISTINE PITAWANICH.
CHRISTINE PITAWANICH. SHE IS ABOUT TO GET AN UPDATE
FROM FIRE OFFICIALS THIS
MORNING.
MORNING.
MORNING. >> Reporter: RIGHT NOW WE ARE
AT THE FIRE STATION HERE.
WE'RE ABOUT TO BE JOINED BY
SOMEONE FROM THE U.S. FOR
SERVICE.
SERVICE.
SERVICE. CREWS HAVE BEEN DEBRIEFING
TRYING TO GET A GOOD IDEA ABOUT
THE FIRE ACTIVITY OVERNIGHT AND
WHAT THEY WILL BE DEALING WITH
THIS MORNING.
THIS MORNING. LET'S TALK TO RACHEL.
THANK YOU FOR JOINING US.
WE LITERALLY JUST GOT UNSEEN.
BOTH OF US IS THE SAME TIME.
-- AT THIS TIME, THEY HAVE
NOTICED THAT THE FIRE HAS
EXPLODED TO OVER 20,000 ACRES.
>> MY LATEST UPDATE THAT IS
ABOUT TO 29,000 ACRES.
IT DID GROW A LITTLE BIT
OVERNIGHT.
OVERNIGHT. THEY ARE PLANNING TO DO A FLIGHT
AT 9 AM AND THEN AT THAT POINT,
THEY WILL KNOW LITTLE MORE
DETAIL ABOUT WHERE THE FIRE
FERMENTER IS.
FERMENTER IS. WE DO STILL HAVE THE SAME
EVACUATION LEVELS ARE IN EFFECT
FROM LAST NIGHT.
WHICH INCLUDES SOME EVACUATIONS
IN WASCO COUNTY.
AND SOME OTHER EVACUATIONS ALSO
BY SHERMAN COUNTY.
IF YOU WANT TO CHECK OF THE
LATEST INFORMATION ON THOSE,
YOU NEED TO GO TO THE WASCO
COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE
FACEBOOK PAGE.
FACEBOOK PAGE. THAT IS WHERE THE INFORMATION
IS BEING POSTED FOR RIGHT NOW.
IN OTHER INFORMATION, KNOW THAT
WE WILL BE FIND OUT MORE HERE
IN A COUPLE OF HOURS, BUT THE
COMPLICATION ACT WAS INVOKED,'S
THERE WILL BE SOME MORE
RESOURCES COMING ON THE SCENE
AND THEY ARE PLANNING TO PUT
SOME RESOURCES ON THE FIRE
TODAY.
TODAY.
TODAY. >>> THE CONFLAGRATION ACT MEANS
THAT MORE CREWS ON THE GROUND
HELPING TO TRY TO KEEP THE FIRE
CONTAINED.
CONTAINED. >> OREGON STATE FIRE MARSHAL'S
OFFICE WILL NOW BE HELPING OUT
WITH THE INCIDENT AND DOING
SOME STRUCTURE PROTECTION
ACTIVITIES.
ACTIVITIES. >>> EVEN AS I HAVE BEEN OUT
HERE IN THE GORGE, AND EVEN
NOW, I AM SURE THAT OUR VIEWERS
CAN SEE.
CAN SEE.
CAN SEE. OUR HAIR IS FALLING AROUND.
TODAY'S MOST WE STILL
RELATIVELY WINDY.
RELATIVELY WINDY. WARM.
WARM.
WARM. DRY.
DRY.
DRY. WHAT
DRY. WHAT DOES THAT MEAN FOR FIRE
CONDITIONS?
CONDITIONS? WHAT DOES IT MEAN WHEN YOU ARE
THINKING ABOUT HOW FIREFIGHTERS
ARE GOING TO COMBAT THE FIRE?
>> IT IS DEFINITELY A CONCERN
WHEN YOU HAVE THESE KINDS OF
CONDITIONS.
CONDITIONS. YOU HAVE THE WEST WIND PUSHING
THE FIRE TOWARDS THE EAST . WE
WILL HAVE TO KEEP AN EYE ON
THAT THROUGHOUT THE DAY.
WE WILL KNOW MORE IN A FEW
HOURS.
HOURS.
HOURS. >>> WE TALKED ABOUT THAT FLIGHT.
HELLO DOES IT ONLY TAKE?
>> I DON'T KNOW HOW LONG IT
NORMALLY TAKES, BUT THAT IS THE
PURPOSE OF THE INITIAL FLIGHT.
WILL BE TO GET THE HEAT
SIGNATURE AND GET A BETTER
HANDLE ON THE FIRE PERIMETER
AND ITS BEHAVIOR.
THAT WILL HELP THEM DECIDE WHAT
THE APPROPRIATE TACTICS ARE.
>>> TO DOMINICK CRUZ?
OBVIOUSLY THE CONFLAGRATION ACT
MEANS MORE.
MEANS MORE. BUT I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY CREWS
ARE THE FIRE RIGHT NOW.
>> I DO NOT KNOW.
AS OF LAST NIGHT, THERE 20
ENGINES AND THEY HAVE THEM
SEPARATED OUT INTO THREE
DIVISIONS THAT WERE ATTACKING
THE FIRE ACTIVELY AND AGAIN, I
WILL KNOW MORE IN A COUPLE OF
HOURS ON WITH THE OPERATIONS
ARE GOING TO LOOK LIKE FOR
TODAY.
TODAY.
TODAY. >>
TODAY. >> IS THE BIGGEST HURDLE THE
WIND THAT WE ARE GETTING?
WHAT IS THE BIGGEST HURDLE FOR
THE FIREFIGHTERS OUT THERE?
>> THE WIND IS A KEY FACTOR.
ONE OF THE BIGGER HURDLES IS
THAT THE FUELS TEND TO MOVE
VERY QUICKLY.
VERY QUICKLY. GETTING AHEAD OF THOSE IS A BIG
CHALLENGE.
CHALLENGE. >>> AGAIN, THAT WAS A U.S. FOR
SERVICE.
SERVICE.
SERVICE. THERE HAVE ALREADY BEEN
EVACUATIONS THAT YOU HEARD HER
TALK ABOUT.
TALK ABOUT. NEARLY 2 DOZEN HOMES ARE
AFFECTED.
AFFECTED.
AFFECTED. WE HAD VISITED EARLIER THIS
MORNING THE DALLES MIDDLE
SCHOOL.
SCHOOL.
SCHOOL. THEY TOLD ME THAT A COUPLE
PEOPLE CAME BY TO GET SOME
WATER AND GET SOME SNACKS, BUT
NOBODY STAYED THE NIGHT.
WE WILL KEEP YOU UPDATED ON
WHAT HAPPENS WITH THAT.
YOU CAN ALWAYS FIND UPDATED
INFORMATION ABOUT THE
EVACUATIONS OR WHERE TO TAKE
YOUR PETS IF NEED BE.
WILL BE IN A WEBSITE, KGW.COM.
NOW, WE WILL SEND IT BACK TO
YOU.
YOU.
YOU. >>
YOU. >> THERE'S A LOT TO TALK ABOUT.
>> THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR
REPORT.
REPORT.
REPORT. >>> CHRIS McGINNESS IS JOINING
US NOW.
US NOW.
US NOW. I
US NOW. I KNOW THAT YOU'RE TAKING A
DEEPER DIVE INTO THE
CONDITIONS OF THE FIRE LINES.
>> YOU CAN SEE THE TREE IN THE
FOREGROUND SHOWING THE TREES.
THE LAST CHECK ON THE AIRPORT,
THE NORTHWEST WINDS HAVE BEEN
SUSTAINED FROM 24 TO 23 MILES
PER HOUR.
PER HOUR.
PER HOUR. EVERYWHERE IN THE MAGENTA
SHADING, WHICH INCLUDES A BIG
CHUNK OF CENTRAL. FUTURECAST
CONTINUES TO INDICATE THAT THE
WEST WOULD MAC -- WINDS WILL