Pilot Rock Fire prompts Level 3 'Go Now' evacuations near Pendleton

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – The Pilot Rock Fire continues to blacken parts of Umatilla County as Level 3 "Go Now" evacuations impact residents on Thursday.

County fire officials estimate the fire is approximately 20,000 acres while Level 3 “Go Now” evacuation notices remain in effect for those “south of Coombes Canyon Road and north of Carney Butte between the County Line on the west and just west of East Birch Creek.”

As of Thursday morning, Highway 395 remains closed with restricted access from Ukiah to just south of Pilot Rock.

Meanwhile, shelters have been set up at Pendleton Convention Center and Grant Union High School.

The percentage of containment remains unclear, though firefighters say they have contained the fire along Yellow Jacket Road Road and Highway 395 S. On Thursday, crews will concentrate on the west and south end of the fire along Bear Creek Road and to the west on Gurdane Road.

During a briefing at the Umatilla County Sheriff's Office with the Oregon State Fire Marshal's Green Team, officials said to “remain flexible and fluid, as the dry conditions and increasing temperatures are extremely challenging and additional fires are expected.”

On Wednesday night, Gov. Tina Kotek invoked the Emergency Conflagration Act for the series of fires impacting Umatilla County. Pacific Power cut power overnight, but electricity returned to the area Thursday morning, according to the power company's Outage Map.

“The conditions our firefighters are up against are extraordinarily challenging and we are working to provide the needed resources to protect our communities from many wildfires burning across the state,” Oregon State Fire Marshal Mariana Ruiz-Temple said. “I can’t stress enough the importance of preventing any new fires and being prepared in case you need to evacuate.”

Stay with KOIN 6 News as this story develops.