Updates to this story will be made in stories published to our sister site at galescreekjournal.com. You do not need a subscription for this story.
A brush fire burning near Shearer Hill Road near the Hillside community has sent a column of smoke into the sky visible as far away as Buxton.
Little information was immediately available on the size and outlook of the fire.
Messages to Forest Grove Fire & Rescue were not immediately returned.
Unconfirmed radio traffic indicated that structures were threatened.
A photo from a wildfire camera located north of Buxton showed smoke on the horizon from the brush fire.
Less than two hours before the fire, Forest Grove Fire & Rescue, which provides fire services in the area, reminded their constituents that outdoor burning was still banned due to ongoing fire danger.
“As we stated last week, the burn ban is still in effect for Washington County, and will likely be lifted in the middle of October. The decision to lift the burn ban will be dependent on weather conditions,” FGF&R said in a social media post.
This is a developing story and will be updated as soon as more information is confirmed at our sister site, the Gales Creek Journal.
Chas Hundley is the editor of the Banks Post and sister news publications the Gales Creek Journal and the Salmonberry Magazine. He grew up in Gales Creek and has a cat.
