BANKS, Ore. — A fire that started in an RV near Banks Saturday morning closed Highway 26 for most of the day. All evacuation orders were later lifted, according to Banks Fire District 13.
Highway 26 was closed at the intersection of Highway 47 for several hours on Saturday, with the Washington County Sheriff's Office directing traffic.
At around 9:40 a.m. that morning, Banks Fire District 13 reported being on scene of a house fire at the intersection of Hwy 47 and Hwy 26 west of Banks. KGW later learned that the fire first started in an RV next to the house; both caught fire and burned. All people inside of the RV and home got out safely, suffering minor injuries.
By around 1 p.m. on Saturday, the fire had spread to nearby wildland, prompting Level 1 "Be Ready" evacuation notices to the area one mile south and one mile east of the fire. Nearby residents were told to prepare bags, food, water, animals and their families.
Fire crews were able to put out the RV and house fire, and Banks Fire said they believe crews prevented what could have been "major damage."
"The combination of the terrain, the heat of the fire, the weather, humidity that we're having and the red flag wind warnings that we're having could have all spelled a major disaster. Command chose to hit this with as heavy a task force as we could and to get it knocked out before it could get to that point," said Scott Adams, public information officer for Banks Fire.
At around 4:30 p.m., Banks Fire District lifted the evacuation notices for nearby residents. The fire was contained but still burning, fire officials said. Fire crews remained on scene throughout the evening and had to return several times on Sunday to address lingering hot spots.
"This is expected and normal. We expect this to happen over the next seven days at least and we are regularly patrolling the area as well as watching the weather," the agency said. "Whenever you see flames without someone around it is always a good idea to call 911 just to make sure."
Highway 26 reopened Saturday evening after fire crews safely moved from the highway into the more heavily wooded areas.
Banks Fire District is a volunteer fire department. They were assisted by nearby fire crews including Yamhill, Scappoose, Forest Grove and Hillsboro.
No information is available as to what caused the fire.
High fire danger
The weekend forecast showed high temperatures rising into the low to mid 90s around the region, creating increased fire danger.
The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued a Heat Advisory on Saturday for the Portland metro area.
A Fire Weather Watch will also be in effect from Saturday afternoon through the evening. That means that the weather conditions could cause fires to rapidly spread. The NWS does not recommend outdoor burning, and asks people to be extra careful in grassy areas.