The Tunnel 5 Fire started Sunday, July 2, 2023, near the town of Underwood, Washington. It grew quickly due to dry conditions throughout the Columbia River Gorge.
Julie Feely / OPB
A rapidly moving wildfire led to evacuations Sunday near Underwood, Washington, in the Columbia River Gorge.
The Tunnel 5 Fire started around 11:19 a.m., according to the Skamania County Sheriff’s Office, just as Washington and Oregon began to experience an incoming heat wave expected to last through the Fourth of July. The fire had grown to more than 530 acres as of Monday morning.
The Washington Department of Natural Resources reported an indeterminate number of structures had burned. It was not immediately clear if homes had been lost.
Level 3 evacuations are in place along Cook Underhill Road within a two-mile radius of the fire. People who are evacuating can head to the Skamania County Fairgrounds, where the Red Cross has set up camp.
People who use the Underwood water system should switch to bottled water for now, Skamania County utilities officials said, or bring all tap water to a rolling boil before use. The system lost pressure because of the fire and may be contaminated.
Several Skamania County businesses said on their social media channels that they had evacuated.
Fire officials say air support is being used to tackle the fire, which quickly spread smoke throughout parts of the gorge Sunday afternoon.
The cause of the fire was not immediately clear, and it remains under investigation.
This story may be updated.