UPDATE (Sunday, July 29, 12:20 p.m. PT) — A new wildfire burning southeast of The Dalles, Oregon, was reportedly caused by farm machinery and is burning through pastureland and farm acreage.
The Long Hollow Fire, burning near Dufur, has prompted mandatory evacuation orders for nearby residents.
The fire was first reported at 4:30 p.m. Thursday afternoon. The fire has burned 33,000 acres and is 27 percent contained as of Sunday afternoon.
Patrick Lair, public information officer with the U.S. Forest Service who is working out of the Central Oregon Interagency Dispatch Center, said the fire was caused by a Quadtrac tractor that caught fire while in use in a field.
Related: Farmers On The Line As Substation Fire Ravages Wheat Country
The Wasco County Sheriff’s Department ordered Level 3 or Go Now evacuations for residents living along the river from Sherars Falls to Macks Canyon.
“The fire to our knowledge didn’t make it across the river, but it still has room to grow to the north and south,” said Patrick Lair, the public information officer for the Central Oregon Fire Management Service, one of many local, state and federal agencies fighting the fire.
He said fire management efforts will focus on dropping water by planes to suppress the fire.
“In a situation like this, aircraft play a critical role,” Lair said. “There’s such a steep terrain and not a lot of road access. It’s tough to get people in and make a fire line.”
Authorities say the fire was sparked by a farmer’s combine, a piece of equipment used for wheat harvesting.
The wildfire is burning in the same area as the deadly Substation Fire, which torched nearly 80,000 acres last week and killed a farmer. That fire is expected to be fully contained by late next week.
This story will be updated.