Smoke from wildfires blankets town in Hood River Valley

Resources are being poured onto several wildfires burning across Oregon.

On the east side of the state is the Durkee Fire, now the largest active wildfire in the country.

It is one of 60 wildfires burning across Oregon and Washington spread by wind and fueled by grass and timber.

The town of Odell, just south of Hood River in the Columbia River Gorge, was surrounded by two wildfires Wednesday. To the east was the Microwave Tower Fire. However, smoke and ash from the Whisky Creek Fire to the west made it difficult for some people to breathe."

Inelda Chavez’s family had to leave a nearby fair.

"Everything was just haze. We could start smelling the smoke. And my friend, who I came with, she’s got asthma, and it triggered it. That’s why we’re leaving,” Chavez said.

"I’m just hoping it doesn’t get any closer,” said James Glenn, who works in Odell, which is a town with a lot of farms and a few shops.

The Microwave Tower Fire has been burning since Monday. It has burned 708 acres and is 14% contained, according to officials.

The fire is threatening at least 500 people who are under evacuation orders, including people who live in Hood River and the town of Mosier.

MORE | https://tinyurl.com/ye4awfhd

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Author: KATU News
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News post in at: July 26, 2024, 3:04 am.

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