7:55 p.m. update: The Washington County Sheriff’s Office said that the second fire was now under control, but that fire crews would remain overnight to monitor hotspots. The Level 2 evacuation for residents on SW Stepien Road will remain overnight as well due to high winds in the area.
The Washington County Sheriff’s Office said that a Level 2 (“BE SET”) evacuation had been issued for anyone living on SW Stepien Road near Hagg Lake after a wildfire sparked in the area.
“Those residents are being requested to leave now if possible,” the sheriff’s office said in a social media post.
The evacuation was requested by the Gaston Rural Fire District, WCSO public information officer Detective Mark Povolny said in a phone call to this newspaper.
Povolny said that the fire is the second Friday evening in the area, but that the first, near Hagg Lake’s Boat Ramp C, was under control. The Gaston Rural Fire District went immediately from that fire to the second fire near SW Stepien Road, and several deputies were assisting in the area to spread the word to local residents, he said.
The sheriff’s office noted that those affected by the fire could wait at Hagg Lake’s Boat Ramp C in Washington County’s Scoggins Valley Park where further updates are expected.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information is confirmed.
Chas Hundley is the editor of the Gales Creek Journal and sister news publications the Banks Post and the Salmonberry Magazine. He grew up in Gales Creek and has a cat.
