Larch Creek Fire grows to 7K acres, new evacuations in place

The Larch Creek Fire, burning 16 miles south of The Dalles, has continued to grow rapidly since it started Tuesday afternoon, shooting to over 10 square miles in under 24 hours.

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) -- The Larch Creek Fire, burning 16 miles south of The Dalles, has continued to grow rapidly since it started Tuesday afternoon, shooting to over 10 square miles in under 24 hours.

Level 3 evacuations were put into place at 7 p.m. Tuesday night as the fire continued to grow with the blaze sitting at an estimated 7,000 acres as of 7 a.m. Wednesday morning.

The Level 3 "GO NOW" evacuations from Clark Miller Road east to J Hix Road, north to Kingley-Friend Market Road, and south to Badger Creek Road remain in place. The Level 2 "GET SET" evacuations from McCorkle Road, south to Happy Ridge Road, east to J Hix Road, and west to Forest Service Road 2700 also remain in place.

New Level 1 "GET READY" were put into place from Elliott Road east to Kingsley Road and Dufur Gap Road north to Friend Road, and the original evacuations in Tygh Valley, Wamic and Pine Hollow all remain in place.

According to the Wasco County Sheriff's Office, a shelter is set up at Maupin High School for those who are evacuating.

On Tuesday, officials said the fire conditions were dangerous due to the hot, dry and dusty conditions in the area.

On Tuesday night, Gov. Tina Kotek invoked the Emergency Conflagration Act for the fire, which allows the state fire marshal to mobilize state resources to protect life and property.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Stay with KOIN 6 News as this story develops.