Update: I-84 shut down as wildfires burn in OR, WA. Travelers told to find another route

11:30 a.m. Wednesday

The Interstate 84 corridor in Eastern Oregon from Pendleton to Ontario remains closed because of “unpredictable fire activity” in the area, reported the Oregon Department of Transportation on Wednesday morning.

There is no estimate for when this or any other fire-impacted highways in Eastern Oregon will reopen, said the alert issued at 11:30 a.m.

“Travelers should be prepared for additional I-84 closures and are advised not to rely on this route,” said the state release.

Officials said if you need to travel east or west through central and eastern Oregon, it’s recommended to use Highway 20 instead.

For the most current information, drivers are encouraged to visit Tripcheck.com .

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A couple dozen wildfires burned in Oregon and Washington earlier this week, closing Interstate 84 east of the Tri-Cities and sending enough smoke over the Tri-Cities that the air quality was rated as bad as “unhealthy.”

On Monday a southwest wind blew smoke from the Big Horn Fire seven miles southeast of Bickleton, Wash., toward the Tri-Cities, according to the National Weather Service.

With so many fires burning in the region, the smoke may have also come from other fires.

A strong odor of smoke hung in the air as the air quality deteriorated from a rating of “moderate” at 7 p.m. to “unhealthy” in readings in Kennewick at 8, 9 and 10 p.m.

In Burbank just south of Pasco the air quality was rated only slightly better from 8 to 11 p.m. at “unhealthy for sensitive groups.”

Satellite images that show where smoke is moving during daylight hours are not much help after dark to meteorologists. But the deteriorating air quality Monday night could have been the result of the wind dying down and smoke settling toward the ground, said Camden Plunkett, National Weather Service meteorologist.

The Big Horn Fire started in the early afternoon Monday in Klickitat County and Washington state sent firefighting resources at 5 p.m. as the fire burned in grass, brush, sage and juniper.

The Northwest Interagency Coordination Center reported Tuesday morning that the fire had grown to 13,800 acres and was just 1% controlled. It threatened 106 homes and 75 commercial buildings.

More gusty southwest winds are forecast for the Tri-Cities Wednesday and Thursday, with gusts as high as 24 mph.

It’s possible that could lead to deteriorating air quality in the late evenings the next few days, Plunkett said.

With wildfires burning across the region and the possibility of new fires starting, there’s always a chance of deteriorating air quality, according to the weather service.

The Tri-Cities should get some relief from the heat this week, which should help with ozone levels that had reached the “unhealthy for sensitive groups” level on July 10 and came close to that on July 13 and 18 as measured in Kennewick.

The high temperature in the Tri-Cities is forecast at 96 on Wednesday, dropping to the high 80s Thursday through Friday . It should then warm to the low to mid 90s for Water Follies weekend through Monday, according to the weather service forecast.

Normal highs for late July in the Tri-Cities are about 95 degrees.

Oregon fires close I-84

Wildfires burning were playing havoc with traffic heading east from the Tri-Cities on Interstate 84 through Oregon .

The Oregon Department of Transportation said Monday night that the interstate would close for up to five nights due to the Durkee Fire burning west of the interstate and northwest of Ontario.

The closures will start at 7 p.m. with lanes open again by 5 a.m. daily to allow fire crews to safely conduct large-scale burnouts to reduce fire fuel.

The Department of Transportation warned against trying to follow GPS directions or other detours on county or forest roads that might have fire activity.

As the Durkee Fire was growing rapidly on Sunday night, the interstate was closed until early Monday morning from Baker City to Ontario.

The interstate also was closed eastbound for a time Monday starting at the Wildhorse Resort and Casino exit east of Pendleton.

On Tuesday morning the interstate was closed again in both directions between Baker City and Ontario due to the Durkee Fire. It also was closed eastbound from Pendleton to Baker City by afternoon. The Tollgate Highway and some other highways in the area were closed to all but local traffic.

The closures were expected to last through the day.

Caused by lightning, the Durkee Fire was 0% contained Tuesday morning and had spread over almost 224,000 acres.

Across the Washington state line south of the Tri-Cities in Umatilla and Grant counties in Oregon, the Snake Fire merged into the Monkey Creek Fire on Monday.

Firefighters were struggling with high temperatures, wind gusts, steep rimrock terrain and limited visibility.

“Our firefighters have been battling these fires day and night for several days amid some of the most challenging terrain and weather in the state,” said Incident Commander Tyler McCarty. “We’re talking a lot about safety, because there’s a lot of work ahead of us to put these fires out.”

The fire has covered 48,348 acres and was 3% contained on Tuesday. Total personnel assigned numbered 654. The cause remains under investigation.