A small brush fire discovered Friday evening near the Clatsop County community of Fishhawk Lake grew to 80 acres overnight, the Mist-Birkenfeld Rural Fire Protection District said.
Air quality in the region, already low due to wildfire smoke, is expected to continue over the weekend, the Portland office of the National Weather Service said.
Rain has finally doused the region, and fire danger in Oregon Department of Forestry-protected lands in and around the Tillamook Forest is now listed at “moderate” as of Wednesday, but that doesn't mean the risk is gone.
The Washington County Sheriff's Office said that a Level 2 ("BE SET") evacuation had been issued for anyone living on SW Stepien Road near Hagg Lake after a wildfire sparked in the area.
The city of Banks said that Portland General Electric had restored power for customers in the Arbor Village subdivision, and that crews were working to restore power to the rest of their customers in Banks city limits.
While most of Banks had originally been slated to avoid an intentional power shutoff, residents in the city are without power anyway following what PGE described as a downed tree on a power line. A small brush fire on the western edge of town was extinguished with the quick action of neighbors, Bank
As power is shut off for rural communities just outside Banks over wildfire concerns, Portland General Electric has established a community resource center at Jim's Market in Banks
Power will be shut off in an effort to reduce wildfire risk in ten areas across PGE's service territory starting Friday. In Gales Creek, power will be cut sometime between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Friday, and may be restored starting Saturday evening.
Portland General Electric said that the likelihood of intentional power shutoffs—known as a Public Safety Power Shutoff or PSPS—is high in ten areas in their service territory, including Buxton, Manning, Timber, and areas surrounding Banks in the next 24 to 48 hours. WOEC customers in the county may
“These conditions are the worst so far for 2022. Dangerous conditions will start Friday morning, peak Friday night, and remain on Saturday,” Oregon Department of Forestry officials said. A Fire Weather Watch begins Friday, and fire danger will rise to Extreme in the Tillamook Forest and surrounding
