Oregon wildfire closes highway

TROUTDALE, Ore. — A growing Oregon wildfire covered parts of the Portland area Tuesday with ash and forced the shutdown of a lengthy stretch of highway through the state’s scenic Columbia River Gorge.

It was one of dozens of wildfires burning in Western states that sent smoke into cities from Seattle to Denver — prompting health warnings and cancellations of outdoor activities for children by many school districts.

The National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho, a federal agency that coordinates wildfire-fighting, said 80 large fires were burning on 2,200 square miles in nine Western states.

The 16-square-mile fire east of Portland forced hundreds of home evacuations. Embers from the fire drifted in the air across the Columbia River — sparking blazes in neighboring Washington state.

The wildfire grew rapidly late Monday and overnight, giving authorities just minutes to warn residents on the Oregon side of the river to leave their homes.

A closure of one section of Interstate 84 because of thick smoke and falling ash was extended 50 miles east of Portland because flames reached the roadway, said Dave Thompson, a spokesman for Oregon’s Department of Transportation.

“If it jumps the road, you’d be driving through a wall of flame,” he said. “It’s just not safe.”

People in Oregon covered their faces to shield themselves from the smoke and the ashes falling on them.

Elsewhere, a fast-moving wildfire in northern Utah swept down a canyon Tuesday morning — destroying structures, forcing evacuations and closing highways.