The South Valley Fire is a human-caused

wildfire A wildfire, forest fire, bushfire, wildland fire or rural fire is an unplanned, uncontrolled and unpredictable fire in an area of Combustibility and flammability, combustible vegetation. Depending on the type of vegetation present, a wildfire ...

currently burning in

Wasco County Wasco County is one of the 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2020 census, the population was 25,213. Its county seat is The Dalles. The county is named for a local tribe of Native Americans, the Wasco, a Chinook tribe who ...

near Dufur in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

. The fire is one of three fires near Dufur, specifically the active

Long Hollow Fire The Long Hollow Fire was a wildfire burning five miles south of Dufur, Oregon in the United States. The fire was first reported on July 26, 2018 and has burned .The fire was started by farm equipment. The fire is located just south of the Substa ...

and the contained

Substation Fire The Substation Fire was a wildfire in the U.S. state of Oregon near The Dalles. The fire was first reported on July 17, 2018, and had burned . Incidents The Substation Fire was reported, burning on private land, in the late afternoon on July ...

. The South Valley Fire has burned . It has caused the evacuation of 400 people and threatens 100 homes. It has impacted recreational activities along the Deschutes River.

Events

The fire was started around 1:30 p.m. on August 1, 2018, near Dufur in

Wasco County, Oregon Wasco County is one of the 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2020 census, the population was 25,213. Its county seat is The Dalles. The county is named for a local tribe of Native Americans, the Wasco, a Chinook tribe who ...

. The fire grew fast, burning almost by the evening. Level three evacuations were put in place and Governor

Kate Brown Katherine Brown (born June 21, 1960) is an American politician and attorney serving as the 38th governor of Oregon since 2015. A member of the Democratic Party, she served three terms as the state representative from the 13th district of the ...

call into action the emergency conflagration act as a result of the fire, sending resources. Highway 197 was closed. The Bureau of Land Management issued an evacuation for areas along the

Deschutes River Deschutes River may refer to: *Deschutes River (Oregon) The Deschutes River in central Oregon is a major tributary of the Columbia River. The river provides much of the drainage on the eastern side of the Cascade Range in Oregon, gathering many ...

, specifically from Sandy Beach to Macks Canyon. As of the evening of August 1, the fire had burned an estimated . The next day, it had grown exponentially to with 400 people evacuated. A historic barn, built in 1906, was burned by the fire.

Impact

The South Valley Fire was one of three fires to have burned in the area, adding to the heavy smoke and evacuations already in place, particularly around the community of Dufur. The fire also impacted recreational activities along the Deschutes River.

Evacuations

The following areas are under mandatory evacuation as of August 1: * 82000 block of Rail Hollow Road to the forest boundary * All of Winslow Road and Shell Rock Road * South of the above zone all the way south to Friend Road * Dufur Gap Road * Hix Road to Kingsley Road * Hwy 197 to forest boundary * Tygh Ridge Road * The Deschutes River from Sandy Beach to Macks Canyon

References

2018 Oregon wildfires August 2018 events in the United States {{Oregon-stub