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‘Aggressively Moving’ Nakia Creek Fire Grows Rapidly in Washington State
The blaze, about 20 miles outside Portland, Ore., grew to 2,000 acres from 150 acres within hours on Sunday. Thousands of people were told to evacuate.
Oct. 17, 2022Updated 11:35 a.m. ET
A wildfire in Washington State grew to 2,000 acres from 150 acres within hours on Sunday, forcing thousands of people to evacuate.
The fire, called the Nakia Creek fire, is burning on extremely steep ground in the Yacolt Burn State Forest near Camas, Wash., about 20 miles northeast of Portland, Ore. Officials in Clark County said the fire was 5 percent contained as of Sunday night, a “very rough” estimate given the amount of smoke in the air. They expected to have better numbers Monday morning.
The fire, which began on Oct. 9, was about 20 percent contained earlier on Sunday but exploded in size, driven by a combination of strong winds, high temperatures and low humidity, officials said. Nearly 3,000 homes were placed under mandatory evacuation orders in Clark County. Another 33,780 were under a voluntary evacuation notice.
Around 12:30 p.m. local time on Sunday, the Clark County sheriff reported that the fire was “aggressively moving” west and southwest.
The wind, with gusts of up to 30 miles per hour, was so strong at times that air response crews had to be grounded for their safety, the Clark Regional Emergency Services Agency said. There were also reports of other fires within Clark County and several in Skamania County, Clark County officials said. As of Monday, there were at least 48 notable fires burning across the Western United States, according to a New York Times database.
Track Wildfires in the West
Track Wildfires in the West
Clark County officials said Sunday night that firefighters were preparing direct control lines along the flanks of the fire and reported that the fire was “smoldering and creeping with some torching” along the rocky terrain. “The potential for fire growth remains and containment lines are being put in place,” the county said.
The National Weather Service said winds were easing across the South Washington Cascades on Sunday night with an increase in humidity from marine air, which “should help” contain the Nakia fire.
Fire season in the region is typically over by October, Clark County said, but this season “has been a long one for fire crews.” Firefighters in Washington State are also tackling two other fires — the Loch Katrine fire, 13 miles northeast of North Bend, and the 8 Road fire, four miles north of Elbe.
“They have been putting in long days for several months now,” Clark County officials said.
Hilary Franz, the commissioner of public lands in Washington State, said on Twitter to expect increased smoke west of the Cascades on Monday. For those in smoky areas, she advised limiting the duration and intensity of outdoor activity, closing windows and doors in homes, and filtering indoor air through a filtration system.
The region has experienced unseasonably high temperatures in recent days. In Seattle, temperatures peaked at 88 degrees on Sunday, the second warmest day in October in almost 130 years of record, the Weather Service said. The conditions also made for a smoky baseball playoff game between the Seattle Mariners and Houston Astros.
The strong winds had another neighboring effect over the weekend: Easterly winds blew ash off the peak of Mount St. Helens.
