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 approximately 70 miles between Baker City and Ontario near the Idaho state line, according to the Oregon Department of Transportation. Interstate 84 is a critical thoroughfare that runs from Portland in the west through the Columbia River Gorge and into eastern Oregon before crossing the Snake River eastward through Boise.
The small town of Huntington, home to approximately 500 residents, was placed under a Level 3 “Go Now” evacuation order Sunday night, meaning residents were instructed to leave immediately. The Baker County Sheriff’s Office issued the evacuation notice at 9:45 p.m. Sunday, and law enforcement and search and rescue personnel went door-to-door to notify residents. An evacuation shelter was established at the Ontario Public Training Center, and transportation assistance was provided to those who needed it.
Huntington Mayor Chuck Guerri described the intensity of the early Monday morning fire activity. He said the fire flared up near the east side of town, getting within 250 feet of the nearest home before firefighters gained control of that portion of the blaze. “The smoke was so thick you could taste it,” he said. He credited local crews with quickly containing that immediate threat, recounting efforts to knock on doors on the east end of town to evacuate residents before the flames advanced. “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.
The Fox Fire was burning near the Oregon-Idaho state line approximately 12 miles northeast of Huntington. Fueled by hot, dry and breezy conditions, the fire had scorched nearly 72 square miles by Monday and remained 0 percent contained. Smoke was so thick that aircraft were potentially grounded due to limited visibility, hampering aerial firefighting efforts. Firefighters were building bulldozer lines around Huntington near a railroad that also runs through the area to protect critical infrastructure.
The interstate reopened later Monday, but the Oregon Department of Transportation warned that the wildfire remained active in the area and intermittent closures were still possible. The state transportation department cautioned people to avoid the region, noting that no local detours were available because other roads were also closed due to fire activity. Only one westbound lane was initially open as the highway reopened, with officials warning that conditions could change with little notice.
Challenging wildfires have burned across the Western United States this summer, following months of dry weather, record lack of snow in some areas, hot spells and erratic winds. The fire season has claimed lives, including that of a fourth firefighter who died of his injuries after being overcome by a fast-moving wildfire near the Colorado-Utah border. Federal authorities announced the death on Saturday.
Other areas of Oregon are also facing significant wildfire threats. In central Oregon, the Akawa Butte Fire was deemed a top priority for firefighting due to its proximity of about 5 miles to Sisters, a city of approximately 3,000 people. Although authorities reported that fire activity had decreased across much of that fire by Sunday, part of the town remained under an evacuation notice, with residents told to be prepared to leave if necessary.
Elsewhere in eastern Oregon, 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. The multiple closures and the severity of fire activity across the state underscore the scale of the wildfire emergency unfolding across Oregon, with officials warning that conditions remain unpredictable and dangerous.