A wildfire burning out of control in Oregon, near the state’s border with Washington, has destroyed homes and forced hundreds of evacuations and closures of major roadways as gusty winds threaten further spread and challenge firefighting crews.
The Rowena Fire has burned 3,800 acres since it ignited on Wednesday afternoon in Wasco County, according to the Oregon State Fire Marshal. It’s 0% contained as of Friday morning.
“Goals for today are centered around holding the fire in its current footprint,” a Friday news release from the fire marshal said, adding additional firefighting resources are en route and will help crews make progress on containment.
“There are no known fatalities at this time,” the Wasco County Sheriff’s Office confirmed on social media Friday afternoon.
The blaze has destroyed at least 49 homes as of Friday afternoon, according to the sheriff’s office, and the total is expected to increase. The fire was caused by human activity and is under investigation.
More than 800 homes were under evacuation orders in part of northern Wasco County Thursday night, county spokesperson Stephanie Krell said. An additional 3,000 homes were under evacuation warnings or advisories urging residents to be ready to evacuate soon – including parts of The Dalles, the county’s largest city and home to about 15,000 people.
Some homes in the county are a total loss, including the one belonging to long-time resident Andy Miles.
“Twenty four years, that was home for my children, that is where they grew up, where my grandchildren played. So, it’s a tough loss,” Miles told CNN affiliate KPTV.
Miles said he was asleep when the fire began and was woken up by a police officer banging on his door, telling him to evacuate, KPTV reported.
“I grabbed some of my son’s paintings, a few things from the safe, some clothes, and now everything I own is literally in a pile,” Miles said.
Interstate 84 was shut down in both directions for nearly 20 miles on Wednesday evening but reopened early Thursday morning, with travelers urged to use caution, according to the Oregon Department of Transportation. Nearby, a portion of US-30 remained closed in both directions Friday morning.
Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek invoked the Emergency Conflagration Act on Wednesday afternoon, allowing the state’s fire marshal to mobilize resources to help combat the fire, according to a news release.
“This early season conflagration should come as a reminder to Oregonians to be ready for wildfire,” State Fire Marshal Mariana Ruiz-Temple said in the release.
“The predictions for this summer are extremely concerning. I am asking everyone to take that extra minute to mindful of the conditions and remember it takes a single spark to ignite a disaster.”
A hotter, drier summer than normal is expected across Oregon and the Pacific Northwest, according to the Climate Prediction Center. Many areas are already experiencing abnormally dry to moderate drought conditions that are expected to intensify, increasing the risk of wildfires as vegetation dries out.
The region and most of the West is facing above-normal fire potential through September, according to the National Interagency Fire Center.
Climate change is making droughts more frequent and prolonged, creating the dry, hot conditions that fuel more dangerous fire weather. It’s also causing more frequent and larger fires with more extreme behavior.
This week, Oregon and the Pacific Northwest baked under intense heat that dried out soil and left vegetation vulnerable to fire start and spread.
The high temperature hit triple digits in The Dalles on both Sunday and Monday – Monday’s high of 101 degrees Fahrenheit broke a record for the date that had stood since 1955.
Windy conditions on Wednesday, with gusts of 30 to 40 mph, fanned the flames once the Rowena Fire sparked in the afternoon, and the difficult weather continued Thursday.
“Windy conditions and warm weather persisted on the Rowena Fire on Thursday, challenging firefighters as they continued aggressive tactics from the air and widespread structural and natural resource protection on the ground,” the Oregon State Fire Marshal said on social media.
Wind will test fire crews again Friday and for part of Saturday: Gusts to 30 mph are possible through Friday night, with gusts to 20 mph on Saturday. No rain is expected into at least the middle of next week.
CNN’s David Williams and Tyler Ory contributed to this report.
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