Wildfire burns nearly 30 acres near Clatskanie
Firefighters from the Oregon Department of Forestry and several cooperating agencies on Monday morning fully contained a wildfire burning in logging slash and standing trees along Highway 47 near Clatskanie.
About 50 personnel were on site mopping up the fire, which burned just over 29 acres before being contained. Hoses were laid to help firefighters water down any burning debris. Investigators will be arriving on scene this morning to look into the cause of the fire. State Highway 47 has reopened, officials said.
The fire was reported Sunday at around 11:30 a.m. burning on private ODF-protected land. No structures were threatened, officials said.
On Sunday afternoon, a 10-mile stretch of Highway 47 between mileposts 1 and 11 was temporarily closed as some 70 fire personnel from multiple agencies battled the blaze, along with two helicopters and two single-engine air tankers.
ODF crews from Columbia City, Forest Grove and Astoria were aided by local fire departments from the towns of Clatskanie, Scappoose, and Vernonia, as well as Washington County, Tualatin Valley Fire and Rescue, Mist-Birkenfeld Rural Fire Protection District, Knappa Fire District and Columbia River Fire and Rescue, and private landowner personnel.
According to ODF records, there have been 356 wildfires statewide so far this year on the 16 million acres of land protected by the agency. The fires have burned about 442 acres of ODF-protected land. About 82 percent of those wildfires have been caused by humans.
