When visiting Oregon and Washington, along the Columbia River Gorge I noticed acres of dead trees. I asked our guide if that was from the pine beetle or wildfires. She said it was from a wildfire set by a 15-year-old in 2017 that burned over 48,000 acres. The area was tinder dry and there was a fire ban in effect when the boy threw a firework into the Eagle Creek Canyon starting the fire. 152 day hikers were stranded overnight before being rescued. The fire burned hot and fast and wind gusts caused it to jump the Columbia River into Washington. The fire continued for three months during which time 400 homes were evacuated, the Columbia River was closed to all marine traffic for 20 miles, thirty miles of I-84 were closed and salmon hatcheries were forced to release 600,000 fish six months early. Eco systems were destroyed and unknown numbers of animals were lost.
Below is a photograph I took six years after the fire. While green is returning along the river, the acres of gray in the distance hint at but can’t show the expanse of the devastation. My most recent encaustic mixed media painting is titled 48,800 Acres. A work-in-progress, it suggests the terror of a wildfire. Droughts and resulting wildfires are becoming more common as a result, some say, of climate change.
Do you wonder what happened to that 15-year-old boy and his group of friends? In a post with the finished work, I’ll let you know.
Six years after the Eagle Creek Fire, some green returns to the gorge. Taken from the Columbia River facing Oregon.
48,800 Acres