LYLE, Wash. -- A wildfire on the Washington side of the Columbia Gorge grew to more than 2,000 acres Sunday, though the blaze was at least 40 percent contained.
Evacuation levels have been also been reduced, just a few days after 40 homes were evacuated and nearly 100 appeared threatened. Crews have also started to mop up an area on the western side of the fire, a good sign that the fire is dying down--but they said they're preparing for some wind gusts up to 35 mph Sunday afternoon.
A community meeting is planned for 7 p.m. on Sunday at Lyle High School, so that fire crews can inform neighbors about the latest fire conditions.
Highway 142 and Canyon Rd. have been been reopened, but Fisher Hill Rd. still remains closed.
More than 700 crews are helping to fight the wildfire. Fire officials said poison oak has become a problem for crews, so they're providing skin relief and educating crews about the dangers of the plant. One of the personnel also suffered a minor leg injury, but he was quickly treated.
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One barn and two outbuildings have been consumed by flames.
Tom Jellum lives by the fire but has not yet evacuated. "This is home," he said. But if flames start to approach "I know where the driveway is," he said.
The residents were all on edge, including Cathy Holguin, who found a warning note on her door. “It's pretty creepy… I hope it doesn’t jump the river,” she said.
With the unpredictable weather conditions, no one in the area felt like they were out of the danger zone.
“It was one of the windiest days of the year, it was blowing at least 50 miles an hour,” said John Grim, waiting to hear if he has to evacuate, too.
The fire was sparked by a downed power line around 10 a.m., Thursday, according to Jen Kevil of the Columbia Gorge Natural Scenic Area. A strong wind in the gorge fueled the fire and it quickly grew to more than 1,200 acres by early Friday morning, according to Kevil.
On Thursday, there were mandatory evacuations from Mile 0 to Mile 8 along Highway 142 and in the Fisher Hill and Canyon Road areas. Highway 142 was also closed north of Lyle.
In addition, a voluntary evacuation included the east side of the Klickitat River, over fears that the fire could jump the river.
The Red Cross has set up a shelter at the Lyle Lion's Club for people displaced by the fire.
