The massive Eagle Creek Fire burning on the Oregon side of the Columbia River Gorge since Saturday, Sept. 2, jumped the Columbia River Monday, sparking a separate fire in Skamania County on the Washington side of the Gorge.
On Tuesday, residents in Skamania County, located just a few miles east of the Camas-Washougal border, learned that a separate fire was now burning on Archer Mountain, about 15 miles northeast of Washougal.
By Wednesday morning, that fire had grown to 112 acres — more than four times its original size.
Officials from the Skamania County Sheriff’s Office sent alerts out throughout the day on Tuesday, updating evacuation orders for areas within the immediate Archer Mountain area. As of this paper’s deadline, there were no evacuation orders in Clark County, and Washington Department of Natural Resources crews were fighting to contain the Archer Mountain Fire.
Skamania County Sheriff David S. Brown urged residents to subscribe to an emergency notification system at www.skamaniasheriff.com.