THE DALLES, Ore. — A fire at The Dalles Marina sent flames and heavy smoke into the air Monday night, briefly shutting down westbound lanes of Interstate 84. Two deputy state fire marshals will be on scene on Tuesday to determine the cause of the fire.
Just after 7:30 p.m., the Wasco County Sheriff's Office said in a Facebook post that crews were responding to an "active fire incident" at the marina, located right off I-84 and Brewery Overpass Road.
Tom Peterson, a journalist with Columbia Community Connection News, reported that several boathouses had been destroyed.
The fire caused a power outage in the area, according to a Facebook post from the Northern Wasco County People's Utility District (PUD).
Crews with Portland Fire & Rescue (PF&R) were sent to The Dalles to help, but were demobilized Tuesday morning.
"There were fears that the fire could threaten homes and that’s why resources were requested. Our crews did arrive to help relieve crews doing mop up and did help extinguish a small brush fire," said Terry Foster, the spokesperson for PF&R.
According to TripCheck, westbound lanes of the freeway were closed near milepost 87 for roughly 30 minutes.
The sheriff's office previously said that multiple people were in the Columbia River trying to swim closer to the marina. They advised people to stay clear of the scene.
This story will be updated.