Tunnel Five Fire in Washington Burns Homes and Forces Evacuation
Firefighters in southeastern Washington were working on Tuesday to extinguish a wildfire that has engulfed more than 500 acres since it broke out on Sunday.
Local fire crews first responded to reports of a wildfire at 11:19 a.m. Sunday morning near Underwood, a small town in Skamania County near the state’s border with Oregon. Hot, windy conditions in the afternoon helped fuel the fire’s spread throughout a hillside community overlooking State Route 14, and the Columbia River, which divides Washington and Oregon, fire officials said.
By Monday morning, officials said they had issued evacuation orders for people within a two-mile radius around the fire, which has been named the Tunnel Five Fire.
The National Weather Service in Portland warned of potential wildfire conditions through Wednesday night in the region encompassing parts of the Gifford Pinchot National Forest northwest of the Tunnel Five Fire.
Source: The New York Times
