Latest on Rowena Fire, Community Meeting Scheduled Tonight
By Griffin Beach on Friday, June 13th, 2025 in Columbia Basin News Columbia Basin Top Stories Northeastern Oregon News Northeastern Oregon Top Stories
ROWENA – (Informational Release from the Oregon Department of Forestry Incident Management Team, Oregon State Fire Marshal, Oregon Department of Forestry and United States Forest Service) Firefighters working on the Rowena Fire overnight, although continuing to be challenged by the wind, were able to push forward on progress around the town of Rowena and along Highway 30. Sustained winds of 20-30 miles per hour were observed across the fire, however little fire growth was seen. An Infrared (IR) flight was ordered and placed the fire around 3,831 acres. More accurate mapping will be available as firefighters continue to work along the fire line and gather data.
Goals for today are centered around holding the fire in its current footprint, limiting growth and protecting homes and natural resources. Aircraft will continue to remain a critical asset on the fire, and more have been ordered. With more resources arriving to the incident, firefighters will be able to deploy more direct tactics, working at the fire’s edge to create a control line and hold the fire. As this work progresses, containment will increase.
Structural resources will continue to work around homes near the fire’s perimeter, mopping up areas that have seen fire. Firefighters will also be removing hazardous trees to increase safety in the area while work is ongoing and ahead of any residents returning. Firefighters are working as quickly and safely as possible with current evacuations in mind, as well as future fire potential across the state.
“It’s very early in fire season for us to be dealing with a large, fast-moving fire like the Rowena Fire, and deploying one of our incident management teams,” Craig Pettinger, ODF Team 2 Deputy IC said. “It doesn’t bode well for what’s ahead of us knowing we already expect an active fire season. We have a lot of fire season ahead of us, and long seasons take a toll on our firefighters and communities across the state.”
Temperatures will be slightly cooler today in the 70s, and relative humidity will be higher, predicted to reach the mid-30s, meaning more moisture will be in the air. These conditions may help to naturally lower the intensity of the fire behavior, however winds will remain steady and create smoky conditions.
Level 1, 2 and 3 evacuations remain in effect under the Wasco County Sheriff’s Office’s direction. You can search for specific addresses here: https://perimetermap.com/wascocounty-or
A community meeting will be held tonight at 7 p.m. at The Dalles High School auditorium, 220 E 10th St The Dalles, Oregon 97058, to provide a current fire update to the public. A recording of the meeting will be later posted on YouTube and Facebook for those who can’t attend in person.
I-84 remains open, however firefighters are continuing to work near the roadway; be aware of crews when driving through the area.
Closures: Due to the fires, Mayer State Park is closed to the public.
Photo courtesy of Rowena Fire 2025 Facebook page
