Update Rowena Fire: West TD “Get Set” to evacuate - Seven Mile Hill Rd to Mountain View Dr., south to Chenowith Creek Rd and Browns Creek Rd., east to W 7th St.
Smoke seen from Sorosis Park in The Dalles at 4 p.m. Residents in West The Dalles are to “Be Set to Evacuate” as the Rowena Fire is being pushed east by heavy winds. Photo by Joshuah Albert
By Joshuah Albert
Rowena, Ore. June 11, 2025, 4 p.m. — A fast-moving wildfire has The Wasco County Sheriff’s office to warn residents to be set to evacuate in West The Dalles.
LEVEL 3 GO NOW! Evacuation from Rowena Ferry Rd. east to River Rd.
LEVEL 2 BE SET Evacuation Seven Mile Hill Rd to Mountain View Dr., south to Chenowith Creek Rd and Browns Creek Rd., east to W 7th St.
LEVEL 1 BE READY Evacuation Snipes, west to Chenoweth Loop Rd., Chenowith Creek Rd, to Browns Creek Rd.
The Gloria Center will be opened as a temporary shelter until 2000. 2505 W 7th St, The Dalles, OR 97058
The Dalles Middle School will be open at 1630 as a temporary shelter.
I-84 and Hwy 30 are closed from Rowena to MP 82. Use alternate route.
The fire broke out Wednesday afternoon near Mayer State Park, prompting multiple road closures and evacuation orders in the Rowena area, according to the Columbia Gorge Fires’ Facebook Page.
Photo courtesy Columbia Gorge Fire’s Facebook page
As of 1:45 p.m., the fire was burning along the eastbound side of Interstate 84, which has since been closed at Exit 64. Officials estimate the fire has burned approximately 5 acres. Incident command has been established at Mayer State Park.
Traffic is closed on Interstate 84 from Rowena to Exit 82 in The Dalles.
Emergency crews from multiple agencies—including Zigzag Interagency Hotshots and engines S-431, S-432, E-602, E-9461, E-9462, E-9451, and E-601—are responding. Weather conditions at the time included 73-degree temperatures, 40% humidity, and winds blowing at 15 mph with gusts up to 27 mph.
Evacuation levels escalated quickly:
At 1:53 p.m., a Level 3 (GO NOW) evacuation was ordered from Old Cherry Road to Highway 30, including Rowena River Ferry Road.
At 2 p.m., a Level 2 (GET SET) evacuation was issued for residents from 5500 Hwy 30 to Discovery Road.
The 5500 block of Hwy 30 was actively being evacuated by 2:05 p.m., according to emergency radio traffic.
The Rowena exit has also been closed, and visibility on Hwy 30 has been severely limited due to smoke, leading to additional closures up to Pinewood.
An evacuation map is available through Wasco County Emergency Management at perimetermap.com.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
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