Tunnel Five Fire
Looking northwest from OR-35 in Hood River, Oregon, the Tunnel Five Fire can be seen burning on July 2nd, 2023.
LocationSkamania County, Washington, United States
Coordinates45°43′21″N 121°34′43″W / 45.722482°N 121.578618°W / 45.722482; -121.578618
Statistics
Date(s)July 2, 2023 (2023-07-02) – July 11, 2023 (2023-07-11)
Burned area529 acres (214 ha)[1]
Causeunder investigation
Map
Tunnel Five Fire is located in Washington (state)
Tunnel Five Fire

The Tunnel Five Fire or Tunnel 5 Fire was a wildfire in Skamania County, Washington in the Columbia River Gorge, near the border with Oregon. Ignited in the morning of July 2, 2023,[2] the cause of the fire is still under investigation. By July 10, the fire was 80% contained,[3] and by the following day it reached 100% containment.[4]

History

The fire began in the unincorporated community of Underwood, Washington, 2 miles (3.2 km) west of White Salmon, Washington during a period of hot, dry conditions that was forecasted to last through the July 4 holiday.[5] As of July 7, 2023, it had burned 546 acres (221 ha) and was 20% containment, and was moving westward.[6][7][5]

Tunnel 5 Fire on July 5, 2023.
Tunnel Five Fire burns above Washington SR14 on July 5, 2023.

Impact

10 homes were estimated to have been burned,[8] with 250 nearby homes threatened.[7] Fourth of July celebrations were cancelled in White Salmon and nearby towns of Hood River, Oregon, and local bans on personal fireworks were put into place,[9][8] in addition to a red flag warning. Level 3 evacuation warnings impacted about 1,000 Skamania county residents.[10]

An emergency shelter for evacuees was opened at the Skamania County Fairgrounds. Other areas around the Columbia River Gorge were under warnings to prepare for potential evacuations.[5] As of July 6, 2023, 461 emergency workers had been deployed to fight the fire using engines and multiple aircraft.[11]

The fire caused Washington State Route 14 to be closed in both directions from Milepost 56 to Milepost 65 beginning on July 4.[7] It reopened to traffic on July 12 after the fire had reached 80 percent containment.[12]

References

  1. ↑ "Tunnel Five Fire". InciWeb - National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG). July 10, 2023. Acres were reduced due to accurate mapping in the eastern portion in Div-G
  2. ↑ "Skamania County wildfire destroys 10 homes, expected to grow". Oregon Public Broadcasting. Retrieved July 5, 2023.
  3. ↑ "Tunnel Five Fire 80% contained; Highway 14 remains closed in the Gorge". The Columbian. July 11, 2023. Retrieved July 12, 2023.
  4. ↑ KATU Staff (July 11, 2023). "Tunnel Five Fire 100% contained". KATU. Retrieved July 12, 2023.
  5. 1 2 3 Mayorquin, Orlando; Holpuch, Amanda (July 4, 2023). "Quick-Moving Wildfire in Washington Threatens Homes and Residents". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 4, 2023.
  6. ↑ "Tunnel Five Fire near Hood River, OR – Current Incident Information and Wildfire Map". Map-o-Fire. Retrieved July 5, 2023.
  7. 1 2 3 "Tunnel Five fire 5% contained, only grows slightly overnight in Columbia River Gorge". The Columbian. July 4, 2023. Retrieved July 4, 2023.
  8. 1 2 "Tunnel 5 fire grows to 533 acres, destroys several structures; evacuation order remains in place". KGW. July 2, 2023. Retrieved July 4, 2023.
  9. ↑ Staff, FOX 12 (July 3, 2023). "Hood River fireworks display cancelled in response to Tunnel 5 wildfire". KPTV. Retrieved July 4, 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  10. ↑ Zerkel, Eric (July 4, 2023). "Washington's Tunnel 5 Fire burns structures, forces hundreds from homes". CNN. Retrieved July 4, 2023.
  11. ↑ "Tunnel Five Fire in Columbia River Gorge still at 5% containment; evacuation levels expand". The Columbian. July 6, 2023.
  12. ↑ Robbins, Becca (July 13, 2023). "Highway 14 reopens in the Gorge after closure for Tunnel Five Fire". The Columbian. Retrieved July 19, 2023.
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