Hwy. 97 reopens after wildfire near Biggs Junction

(Update: Hwy. 97 reopens with pilot car; eastbound I-84 reopens)

A wind-fanned, fast-moving wildfire Tuesday afternoon closed an eight-mile stretch of U.S. Highway 97 south of Biggs Junction and I-84 for several hours, authorities said. It later reopened with a pilot car escorting traffic.

The Sherman County Sheriff’s Office warned in a Facebook post of a “fast-moving fire in Biggs” and urged everyone to avoid the area.

“The fire is on the southwest side of Highway 97, blowing east and south,” the posting stated. An update said the fire was moving east but there were no evacuations and Highway 206 remained open.

Mid-Columbia Firefighters said they were responding to the wind-driven grass fire.

ODOT said Highway 97 was closed between mileposts 1 and 9. Motorists were being directed to use U.S. Highway 97 via The Dalles as a detour.

Track traffic updates on our ODOT TripCheck page.

While I-84 was still open in the fire area, a stretch of the eastbound freeway was closed between Baker City and Pendleton in northeast Oregon due to a hay truck fire and backed up semis with no room to park. The westbound freeway was open but moving slowly near that location. Proof of residency was required to get on eastbound I-84 between La Grande and Baker City The burned up triple-trailer hay truck was blocking one lane, while thick smoke limited visibility in the area.

ODOT said I-84 eastbound reopened Tuesday evening between Pendleton and Huntington.