The Grasshopper Fire burning on the east side of Oregon's Mount Hood has grown to more than 77,000 acres and remains approximately 20% contained, fire officials reported Wednesday. Six homes and 15 smaller structures have been destroyed, with approximately 200 additional buildings under threat in Wasco County.

Nearly 1,800 personnel are engaged in suppression efforts on the fire, which has been designated Oregon's highest priority incident. The Wasco County Sheriff's Office confirmed the structure losses Wednesday, noting that "damage assessments must take a secondary priority while firefighters remain actively engaged in suppressing the fire and reducing immediate threats."

Fire Behavior and Conditions

Wednesday morning, crews concentrated on tying together control lines and extinguishing hotspots to prevent rekindling ahead of expected windy conditions this weekend. While most containment lines held overnight, the fire saw some growth along its northern perimeter. A Forest Service closure is in place for the fire area, and Highway 35 — a primary transportation corridor east of Mount Hood — has experienced multiple closures as fire activity approached the road.

Wasco County Fair Canceled

The Wasco County Fair Board announced the cancellation of this year's county fair, which was scheduled to begin Thursday. It marks the first time in history the fair has been canceled due to a wildfire. Board member Ken Polehn cited public safety as the overriding concern: "There's one way in, one way out. We just felt it was a public safety issue," particularly given the risk to people and animals requiring mass evacuation. A planned 4-H livestock show and auction will be rescheduled at an alternate venue.

Community Impact

For Wasco County residents, the fair cancellation is one of many disruptions caused by the Grasshopper Fire. Roads are closed, smoke chokes the air, and hundreds of people have been evacuated from their homes.

Lisa Sethmann, a distillery owner evacuated from Friend, Oregon since Sunday, described the experience of choosing what to take from her home. "The thing that I really feel was the gift out of all of this was it put things really into perspective," she said. As of Wednesday afternoon, her home and onsite distillery were still standing, though the surrounding land had been severely burned.

Updates are available on InciWeb at inciweb.wildfire.gov and through the Wasco County Sheriff's Office.