(PORTLAND KATU-NEWS) WISHRAM, WASH. — A grass fire burning in the Columbia River Gorge Wednesday night forced the closure of a portion of Highway 14 about 30 miles east of White Salmon for over five hours.
The 250-acre fire was just above Wishram, Wash. and just east of The Dalles, Ore. The fire started at about 5:30 p.m. on the south side of the highway then jumped the road and spread north.
Crews dug a line around the fire and it is no longer spreading. One firefighter was treated for minor smoke inhalation and dehydration.
The Washington State Department of Transportation reopened the highway just before 11 p.m.
The fuel for the fire was grass, according to the Forest Service, which says these types of fires normally spread fast, burn out all the fuel and then die down.
