8/14/2018 Memaloose #2 Fire Update

News Release:  Memaloose #2
Tuesday August 14, 2018 4:00 P.M.

Contact:  Christie Shaw, Oregon Department of Forestry
                541-263-0661
                Rachel Pawlitz, US Forest Service-Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area
                503-758-2624

[Mosier, Ore.]   Containment for the Memaloose #2 Fire improved to 75% this afternoon as crews systematically work through the interior of the fire searching for heat and flames.  The burn pattern of the fire left a mosaic of unburned fuels inside the perimeter.  This burn pattern complicates mop-up as firefighters need to make sure unburned fuels will not be ignited by adjacent heat sources.  Additionally, firefighters are being challenged by the steep terrain and rolling materials which can ignite the dry grasses and other unburned vegetation.  Currently there are more than 100 firefighters assigned to the fire.  Helicopters assigned to the fire are also available for initial attack of new fire starts.
Evacuation orders remain in effect for the Rowena Dell area near the fire.  Evacuation information can be found on the Wasco County Sheriff's Facebook page:  www.facebook.com/WascoCountySheriff/<http://www.facebook.com/WascoCountySheriff/>.  No structures were destroyed or damaged by the fire.
Interstate 84 and US Highway 30 are open with no restrictions.  For public and firefighter safety please do not to stop along the roadways to take pictures or view suppression activities. The eastbound Memaloose Rest Area remains closed at this time.
Memaloose #2 Fire was reported late Friday evening burning 167 acres near the eastbound Memaloose Rest Area, south of Interstate 84, three miles east of Mosier, Oregon. The fire is burning on National Forest System lands in the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area and state and privately owned lands protected by the Oregon Department of Forestry and Mosier Fire and Rescue. The cause remains under investigation.
Fire conditions in Oregon are extremely hazardous and firefighting resources are increasingly scarce as fire activity increases in the Pacific Northwest.  Please follow restrictions to reduce the risk of new fires on the landscape.  Oregon Department of Forestry's Central Oregon District Regulated Closure information can be found at www.odfcentraloregon.com<http://www.odfcentraloregon.com>.  For more information on fire restrictions in the Columbia River Gorge visit https://www.fs.usda.gov/main/crgnsa/fire.