A new unified command including international support took charge of the Grasshopper Fire on Wednesday as the blaze reached 83,642 acres. The fire remains 20 percent contained with 1,832 personnel assigned to the incident.
Effective Wednesday morning, the Southern Area Blue Incident Management Team and the Oregon State Fire Marshal (OSFM) Blue Incident Management Team are leading suppression efforts. They are joined by the Australia/New Zealand Incident Management Team 1 to increase operational capacity as the fire continues to move through dry fuels.
Extreme fire activity was reported Tuesday along the northeastern and eastern perimeters. Gusty winds pushed the northeastern corner of the fire to Hix Road, while the eastern edge reached Elliott Road. In response, two additional Oregon State Fire Marshal task forces and a strike team of engines from California arrived Tuesday night to boost protection for threatened homes.
While fire activity moderated on the southern and southwest corners, crews on the northern perimeter successfully held lines along Forest Road 4421. Firefighters also improved contingency barriers along Dufur Mill Road. Along the Highway 35 corridor, felling operations are underway to remove hazardous trees while crews continue to extinguish remaining heat on the western edge.
Operations on Wednesday are focused on tying together control lines ahead of expected unstable weather conditions and increased afternoon winds. Heavy emphasis is being placed on the active eastern portion of the fire, where crews are working to stop the spread driven by wind and rugged terrain. Aircraft will continue to support ground teams with water and retardant drops as conditions allow.
Forecasters expect gusty northwest winds to return late Wednesday afternoon. Temperatures and humidity levels are predicted to remain steady over the next two days, with smoke likely continuing to impact communities east and southeast of the fire area.
A community meeting is scheduled for Thursday, Aug. 13, with the time and location to be announced once finalized.
Evacuation notices remain in effect for Hood River, Wasco, and Clackamas counties. Residents can find current status maps for Wasco County at perimetermap.com/wascocounty-or and Clackamas County at clackamas.us/clackcoalerts. An evacuation shelter is open at The Dalles Middle School, 1100 East 12th St.
The Mt. Hood National Forest has implemented an area closure, and a campfire ban remains in place. A Temporary Flight Restriction is also active, and officials warned that all aerial firefighting will be suspended if unauthorized drones are detected in the area.
Travelers should monitor road closures at tripcheck.com. Real-time air quality information is available at fire.airnow.gov and smoke outlooks can be found at outlooks.airfire.org/outlook/50aab846. For additional local fire restrictions, visit oregon.gov/odf/fire/pages/restrictions.aspx.