Fire near White Salmon now 50 percent contained

The Highway 141 Fire, burning between White Salmon and Husum in the Columbia River Gorge, was reported as 50 percent contained late Saturday by fire managers.

The blaze, which started Wednesday afternoon and has burned timber, brush and grass, grew by about 200 acres since Friday to 1,614 acres, according to an 8 p.m. update posted at http://www.inciweb.org/incident/3238/.

Good progress was reported on line construction and burnout in the eastern portion of the fire, with Level 2 evacuation notices remaining in place.

About 150 people attended a community meeting Saturday morning at Columbia High School Gym in White Salmon.

More than 650 people were assigned to the fire Saturday. Seven dozers, 12 water tenders, six helicopters and assorted wildland and structural protection engines were on scene.

No structural losses or damage, or injuries, have been reported on this incident.

An email address had been established for fire information at Highway141Info@gmail.com. Anyone wishing electronic daily updates may contact that address to be added to an email list.

Several events scheduled for the weekend for the Huckleberry Festival will occur as scheduled, fire officials said.