Raging Wildfire Burns Washington State Homes
Pastor Dale Morgan
Raging Wildfire Burns Washington State Homes*
Friday September 21, 2007 5:16 AM
WHITE SALMON, Wash. (AP) - A wildfire that started Thursday near the
bottom of a river gorge raced uphill under stiff winds, destroying four
homes, authorities said. No injuries were reported.
The destroyed homes were on a bluff overlooking the Columbia River, said
U.S. Forest Service fire information officer Stan Hinatsu. Fifty to 60
other homes were threatened by the blaze that began around 11:30 a.m.,
he said.
An unspecified number of people had to be evacuated and an evacuation
center was set up at a local school, he said.
The fire covered 150 acres by 8 p.m. and was 15 percent contained, he
said. A total of 150 firefighters were on the fire lines Thursday night,
and four helicopters dropped water, officials said.
The Columbia River Gorge is renowned as a windsurfing location. Hinatsu
said firefighters hoped to get control of the fire sometime Friday, but
a lot depended on the wind, which was gusting up to 38 mph.
``Maybe the worst of it has passed,'' Hinatsu said. ``I'm hoping it is.
But if we get strong winds tomorrow. It won't take much for this fire to
get up and go again.''
The fire's cause was being investigated, he said.
In Southern California, a wildfire that scorched more than 14,000 acres
in the San Bernardino National Forest was fully contained Thursday, the
U.S. Forest Service said.