Latest news with #WascoCounty
CNN
a day ago
- Climate
- CNN
Out-of-control Oregon wildfire forces evacuations and highway closures as gusty winds challenge firefighters
A wildfire burning out of control in Oregon, near the state's border with Washington, has forced hundreds of evacuations and closures of major roadways as gusty winds threaten further spread and challenge firefighting crews. The Rowena Fire has burned 2,500 acres since it ignited on Wednesday afternoon in Wasco County, according to the Oregon State Fire Marshal. It's 0% contained as of early Thursday morning. More than 800 homes were under evacuation orders in part of northern Wasco County Wednesday night, CNN affiliate KATU reported. An additional 2,500 homes were under evacuation warnings or advisories urging residents to be ready to evacuate soon – including parts of The Dalles, the county's largest city and home to about 15,000 people. Interstate 84 was shut down in both directions for nearly 20 miles on Wednesday evening but reopened early Thursday morning, with travelers urged to use caution, according to the Oregon Department of Transportation. Nearby US-30 remained closed in both directions for about 10 miles Thursday morning. Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek invoked the Emergency Conflagration Act on Wednesday afternoon, allowing the state's fire marshal to mobilize resources to help combat the fire, according to a news release. 'This early season conflagration should come as a reminder to Oregonians to be ready for wildfire,' State Fire Marshal Mariana Ruiz-Temple said in the release. 'The predictions for this summer are extremely concerning. I am asking everyone to take that extra minute to mindful of the conditions and remember it takes a single spark to ignite a disaster.' Oregon and the Pacific Northwest baked under intense heat this week that dried out soil and left vegetation vulnerable to fire start and spread. The high temperature hit triple digits in The Dalles on both Sunday and Monday – Monday's high of 101 degrees Fahrenheit broke a record for the date that had stood since 1955. Windy conditions on Wednesday, with gusts of 30 to 40 mph, fanned the flames once the Rowena Fire sparked in the afternoon. Wind will pose a continued challenge for fire crews Thursday. Gusts of 10 to 15 mph in the morning will increase to 15 to 25 mph in the afternoon, and a few gusts past 30 mph are possible. Winds will remain gusty at times through Friday and no rain is expected into at least early next week. CNN's David Williams contributed to this report.
CNN
a day ago
- Climate
- CNN
Out-of-control Oregon wildfire forces evacuations and highway closures as gusty winds challenge firefighters
WildfiresFacebookTweetLink Follow A wildfire burning out of control in Oregon, near the state's border with Washington, has forced hundreds of evacuations and closures of major roadways as gusty winds threaten further spread and challenge firefighting crews. The Rowena Fire has burned 2,500 acres since it ignited on Wednesday afternoon in Wasco County, according to the Oregon State Fire Marshal. It's 0% contained as of early Thursday morning. More than 800 homes were under evacuation orders in part of northern Wasco County Wednesday night, CNN affiliate KATU reported. An additional 2,500 homes were under evacuation warnings or advisories urging residents to be ready to evacuate soon – including parts of The Dalles, the county's largest city and home to about 15,000 people. Interstate 84 was shut down in both directions for nearly 20 miles on Wednesday evening but reopened early Thursday morning, with travelers urged to use caution, according to the Oregon Department of Transportation. Nearby US-30 remained closed in both directions for about 10 miles Thursday morning. Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek invoked the Emergency Conflagration Act on Wednesday afternoon, allowing the state's fire marshal to mobilize resources to help combat the fire, according to a news release. 'This early season conflagration should come as a reminder to Oregonians to be ready for wildfire,' State Fire Marshal Mariana Ruiz-Temple said in the release. 'The predictions for this summer are extremely concerning. I am asking everyone to take that extra minute to mindful of the conditions and remember it takes a single spark to ignite a disaster.' Oregon and the Pacific Northwest baked under intense heat this week that dried out soil and left vegetation vulnerable to fire start and spread. The high temperature hit triple digits in The Dalles on both Sunday and Monday – Monday's high of 101 degrees Fahrenheit broke a record for the date that had stood since 1955. Windy conditions on Wednesday, with gusts of 30 to 40 mph, fanned the flames once the Rowena Fire sparked in the afternoon. Wind will pose a continued challenge for fire crews Thursday. Gusts of 10 to 15 mph in the morning will increase to 15 to 25 mph in the afternoon, and a few gusts past 30 mph are possible. Winds will remain gusty at times through Friday and no rain is expected into at least early next week. CNN's David Williams contributed to this report.
CNN
a day ago
- Climate
- CNN
Out-of-control Oregon wildfire forces evacuations and highway closures as gusty winds challenge firefighters
A wildfire burning out of control in Oregon, near the state's border with Washington, has forced hundreds of evacuations and closures of major roadways as gusty winds threaten further spread and challenge firefighting crews. The Rowena Fire has burned 2,500 acres since it ignited on Wednesday afternoon in Wasco County, according to the Oregon State Fire Marshal. It's 0% contained as of early Thursday morning. More than 800 homes were under evacuation orders in part of northern Wasco County Wednesday night, CNN affiliate KATU reported. An additional 2,500 homes were under evacuation warnings or advisories urging residents to be ready to evacuate soon – including parts of The Dalles, the county's largest city and home to about 15,000 people. Interstate 84 was shut down in both directions for nearly 20 miles on Wednesday evening but reopened early Thursday morning, with travelers urged to use caution, according to the Oregon Department of Transportation. Nearby US-30 remained closed in both directions for about 10 miles Thursday morning. Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek invoked the Emergency Conflagration Act on Wednesday afternoon, allowing the state's fire marshal to mobilize resources to help combat the fire, according to a news release. 'This early season conflagration should come as a reminder to Oregonians to be ready for wildfire,' State Fire Marshal Mariana Ruiz-Temple said in the release. 'The predictions for this summer are extremely concerning. I am asking everyone to take that extra minute to mindful of the conditions and remember it takes a single spark to ignite a disaster.' Oregon and the Pacific Northwest baked under intense heat this week that dried out soil and left vegetation vulnerable to fire start and spread. The high temperature hit triple digits in The Dalles on both Sunday and Monday – Monday's high of 101 degrees Fahrenheit broke a record for the date that had stood since 1955. Windy conditions on Wednesday, with gusts of 30 to 40 mph, fanned the flames once the Rowena Fire sparked in the afternoon. Wind will pose a continued challenge for fire crews Thursday. Gusts of 10 to 15 mph in the morning will increase to 15 to 25 mph in the afternoon, and a few gusts past 30 mph are possible. Winds will remain gusty at times through Friday and no rain is expected into at least early next week. CNN's David Williams contributed to this report.
New York Times
2 days ago
- Climate
- New York Times
Oregon Wildfire Destroys Homes and Forces Evacuations
A rapidly spreading wildfire on the northern edge of Oregon, called the Rowena Fire, destroyed 20 homes, shut down a section of a highway and caused the authorities to declare evacuation orders on Wednesday. The blaze was reported Wednesday afternoon next to the Columbia River, which flows on the border with the state of Washington. By 8 p.m., it had burned about 2,500 acres after tripling in size within roughly an hour, Oregon's Department of Emergency Management said. The Wasco County Sheriff's Office ordered residents in more than 730 homes in the surrounding area to evacuate and closed a section of Interstate 84, which connects Portland to Idaho. Firefighters were conducting controlled burns to slow the fire's spread into the night. Track Wildfires in the U.S. See where wildfires are currently burning throughout the continental United States. Gov. Tina Kotek of Oregon invoked the Emergency Conflagration Act on Wednesday afternoon, mobilizing the state fire marshal to fight the Rowena Fire. The blaze was the largest active fire in Oregon late Wednesday. Smaller wildfires were burning along the Columbia River west of the Rowena Fire, causing additional road closures on I-84 and Highway 30. An emergency shelter was set up at The Dalles Middle School, the sheriff's office said.
Daily Mail
14-05-2025
- Daily Mail
Far-right probation officer fights for his job after using sickening gestures at work
An Oregon probation officer who was canned for repeatedly greeting his German coworker with the Nazi salute has been battling for reinstatement. Shawn C. Sorensen, the lead probation officer for the Wasco County Sheriff's Office (WCSO), reportedly admitted to making the hateful gesture while shouting 'Mein Fuher' to another officer, Marco Beitl. Beitl allegedly responded by placing his finger over his lips to mimic Adolf Hitler's mustache. After multiple complaints and an internal investigation, both Sorensen and Beitl were fired by Sheriff Lane Magill last year. Challenging the decision, Sorensen filed a grievance backed by the Federation of Oregon Parole and Probation Officers union. And state arbitrator Dorothy C. Foley has ruled in his favor - demanding that the office must reinstate Sorensen. The neutral third party decided Sorensen's behavior was inappropriate, but not blatantly biased. But Magill has no plans of welcoming the officer back onto the WCSO team, calling out his inexcusable behavior as 'egregious and offensive.' 'We cannot tolerate a hostile work environment and will not allow antisemitic behavior at our office,' Magill told OregonLive. 'There is no excuse for this goes to the professional standards of how we conduct ourselves in law are held to a higher standard.' Sorenson owned up to his bizarre and unacceptable workplace behavior while speaking with external investigator James Ferraris. 'I've known Marco for going on 12 years and we've done that back and forth the entire time we've known each other,' Sorenson said. 'It was not uncommon,' he added, explaining he could recall at least a 20 instances of his jarring exchanges with Beitl. He even noted he made no efforts to hide his salutes. 'It wasn't like I was going in the door, behind closed doors, and doing it,' he said, describing the historically hateful motion as nothing more than a lighthearted hello. When Ferraris asked if anyone ever complained to him about the gesture, he responded: 'No, but it was wholly inappropriate.' 'Because even if Marco was participating in it, it could have offended somebody else,' he later elaborated. 'There might have been somebody with Jewish nationality. A Jewish person that would be very offended by that. 'I didn't think that there was, but in retrospect, even if he was participating, that was inappropriate on both of us.' However, Beitl has denied any involvement in the Hitler-related gesturing. 'What they said I was doing, I didn't do,' he told Oregon Live. 'If you grow up in Germany, that is a crime, you don't do that.' As noted in the investigation, Beitl had allegedly made a derogatory comment about his dog looking like a 'Jew.' He claimed this detail was taken out of context, explaining he was saying 'It looks like he has a Jewish hat on,' referring to a kippah. Ultimately, Beitl, who worked for Wasco County since 2012 and served 15 years as a police officer in Germany, chose not to fight for his job back, citing the expenses of hiring a lawyer. He also said Beitl never expressed discomfort with their routine. During arbitration on January 15, Sorensen said his encounters with Beitl were 'goofiness. They were banter,' OregonLive reported. But county attorney Kyle Abraham was less than thrilled with Sorensen downplaying the significance of the salute. 'You mentioned that it was intended to be goofy and·banter. Was the Holocaust goofy?' he asked. Sorensen, who started working for the Wasco County Sheriff's Office (WCSO) in 2011 after an Air Force career, asserted he has learned from his mistakes and wanted his job back. 'I'm a servant, and I found my calling at parole and probation. I am good at my job. I'm getting better. I got better daily because I made it a goal of mine to help more people,' he said. On March 27, Foley officially ordered for Sorensen to be put back to work, calling firing him 'extreme' given his 'unblemished 12-year work history.' A 2021 state law limits the power of arbitrators in Oregon, stating the litigators cannot minimize punishments if doing so is against public interest, specifically when 'enforcing a higher standard of conduct for law enforcement officers and ensuring an accountable, fair and just disciplinary process.' OregonLive reported Sorensen is planning to file an unfair labor practice complaint to solidify his return to his previous position. Magill said he will cite Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that outlawed discrimination based on ace, color, religion, sex and nationality, when Sorensen formally tries to get his job back. 'We will continue to defend our decision to terminate his employment through the appropriate legal means,' Magill told the outlet.
