Grasshopper Fire Tops 54,200 Acres as Flames Reach Highway 35 at 23% Containment
Updated
Updated · KATU · Aug 8
Grasshopper Fire Tops 54,200 Acres as Flames Reach Highway 35 at 23% Containment
3 articles · Updated · KATU · Aug 8
Summary
54,200 acres are now burning near Mount Hood after the Grasshopper Fire grew overnight and reached Highway 35 in several places, with containment at 23% on Saturday.
Highway 35 is closed between Bennett Pass Snow Park and Baseline Road as hot, dry and windy Red Flag conditions complicate efforts to keep the fire from crossing the corridor.
Fire managers said southwestern lines are holding and they are confident in the east, while crews build bulldozer lines, conduct strategic burns and protect structures near Teacup Lake.
Level 3 "GO NOW" evacuations remain in place, a large-animal shelter is operating at the Sherman County Fairgrounds in Moro, and parts of Mt. Hood National Forest are closed.
The fire, believed to have been sparked by lightning on July 23, remains a major Oregon wildfire with weather still the main obstacle to stronger containment.