Rowena Fire 5% contained as crews make ‘steady progress’

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — As the Rowena Fire continues to burn between Mosier and The Dalles, destroying dozens of homes and threatening hundreds more, fire officials say they are making “steady progress” towards containment as of Saturday morning.

The fire, which started Wednesday, reached more than 3,800 acres by Friday.

Despite winds reaching up to 30 miles per hour overnight, officials said they worked to make a dozer line to contain the fire along the west and southwest areas, while other crews worked on patrol and mop-up efforts.

The Wasco County Sheriff’s Office shared updates on Saturday afternoon that the following areas that were once Level 3 “Go Now” evacuation areas have been downgraded to Level 2 “Be Set”:

• Foley Lakes and Murray’s Addition
• The Dalles Country Club
• Basalt St., Simonelli Rd., Morris Ln, Adeline Way and Hwy 30 west of Tooley Lake.

Level 3 “Go Now” evacuations are still in effect for the following areas:

• Evacuation from Rowena River Rd in the east, west to Highway 30, south to intersection of Mountain View Rd. and Seven Mile Hill Rd., southeast the area north of Chenowith Creek Rd and Browns Creek Rd., northeast to the area north of Murray’s Addition and Foley Lakes.

Level 2 “Be Set” evacuations are still in place for the following areas:

• From The Dalles Country Club, east to I-84, south to River Rd., west to W. 7th St., south to Chenoweth Loop Rd., and west to 10th St.
• Highway 30 west to Dell Rd. and State Rd., south to Seven Mile Hill Rd. east to Mountain View Dr.
• Snipes, west to Chenoweth Loop Rd., Chenowith Creek Rd, to Browns Creek Rd.

Level 1 “Be Ready” evacuations are in place for the following areas:

• Port area of The Dalles
• I-84 MP 75, west to MP 73, south to intersection of State Rd and Marsh Cut Off Rd., east to Dell Rd.
• Intersection of Dell Rd and State Rd., west to Morgensen Rd., south to Dry Creek Rd., east to State Rd.
• Dry Creek Rd., west to Carroll Rd and Catron Rd., south to Osborn Cutoff Rd. northeast to Dry Creek Rd.
• Intersection of Dry Creek Rd and Osborn Cutoff Rd, south to Vensel Rd., southeast to Chenowith Creek Rd. and northeast to Seven Mile Hil Rd.
• Snipes St, east to River Rd, south to Bargeway Rd., west to I-84
• From the intersection of Seven Mile Hill Rd, east to Browns Creek Rd, East to Snipes St. to Cherry Heights Rd, south to Browns Creek Rd.

As of Saturday morning, the fire is now 5% contained. Further, twelve task forces and 484 firefighters are continuing to work day and night to keep the fire from growing. 

The Wasco County Sheriff’s Office said Friday that the total homes destroyed is now 49. According to the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center, the Rowena Fire is still threatening around 600 structures.

There are no known deaths associated with the fire, the Wasco County Sheriff’s Office said.

“As the scope and scale of the fire decrease, we’re adjusting our resources to ensure our workforce continues to align with OSFM’s mission of structural protection,” said Kelly Zakrzewski, Chief of Operations with the Oregon State Fire Marshal. “We’re incredibly grateful for the dedication of our crews and look forward to seeing them return home safely to rest and prepare for what’s ahead.”

Fire officials added a drop in wind speeds will help improve air support and allow “for more precise water drops on hotspots within the fire perimeter.”

Local agencies also gave further updates to the public at a community meeting at The Dalles High School auditorium Friday night.

All evacuations for the area remain in place and you can search for specific addresses here.

The Red Cross also has a shelter set up at The Dalles Middle School, and livestock and horses can be taken to the Wasco County Fairgrounds at 81849 Fairgrounds Road.

Additionally, GoFundMe has launched a centralized donation hub for those who lost their homes in the fire.

Stay with KOIN 6 as we continue our wildfire coverage.