Mt. Hood fire looms near Bull Run Reservoir

By Kyle Mallory, KOIN Local 6 TV

The Dollar Lake fire in the Mount Hood National Forest stood at 4,500 acres early Tuesday morning, hovering within a few miles of the Bull Run Reservoir and closing more roads and campgrounds in the area, according to the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center.

Hot weather—the hottest stretch of the year according to KOIN Chief Meteorologist Bruce Sussman—is expected this week and could hamper firefighters’ efforts to control the blaze from reaching the water, which is a concern for firefighters.

“I would say it’s our primary concern right now,” said Bernie Pineda, a NWICC spokesman. “We’ve been on the ground looking at containing that area and have additional resources today.” Pineda said containment was setup near the west/southwest end of the fire, which was two-and-a-half to three miles from the water supply.

On Monday, gusty winds made for active fire, but a Red Flag Warning was lifted and downgraded to a fire weather watch, but still the blaze was only 10 percent contained.

According to the agency, the following campgrounds, roads and trails are closed:

ROADS: Forest Roads 13, 16, 18, 2840, 3511, 3512, and all other Forest Roads within the closure area.

CAMPGROUNDS: Lost Lake, Wahtum Lake, McNeil, Riley Horse Camp, Lost Creek, Kinnikinnick, TillyJane and Cloud Cap.

TRAILS: Pacific Crest Trail from the Rushing Water Creek crossing, north to Wahtum Lake; Trail #600 from Gnarl Ridge Trail #652 northwest to its terminus at Ramona Falls Trail #797; Burnt Lake Trail #772 from the Burnt Lake north trailhead, south to the wilderness boundary; Cast Lake Trail #773 and Horseshoe Trail #774 from the trailhead in Riley campground south to the wilderness boundary; Sandy River Trail #770 and Ramona Falls Trail #797; Yokum Ridge #771 Mazamas Trail #625 Vista Ridge Trail #626, Elk Cove Trail #631 and Pinnacle Ridge Trail #630; and all minor trails within the closure area.