Thousands of homes threatened as destructive Rowena Fire continues burning

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) -- The Rowena Fire continued scorching the area between Mosier and The Dalles, destroying homes and threatening thousands more.

The fire, which started Wednesday, has continued to grow, reaching 3,500 acres as of Thursday night and still remains uncontained.

According to the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center, the Rowena Fire has destroyed at least 20 homes already and is threatening over 2,000 more.

As the flames continue to rage on, KOIN 6 spoke with residents who were forced to leave their homes.

"We got maybe a quarter of a mile away from the house or so and some of the flames were coming up the embankment, and so we had to drive through it, and so we couldn't see anything in front of us, and we could feel the heat through the car," said Tailer Rundell, who was forced to flee from his home.

Another resident, Floyd Barber, who has lived in the Rowena area for 35 years, shared the devastation that the fire has left behind.

"It burnt that down, then it started burning right there, and then me and my son managed to get that put out, and then right there where the black spots are, we got water squirted up in there, and that stopped. Otherwise, I would've lost this house," said Barber. "We had water, but when the power went off, that's when things went all to hell."

All evacuations for the area remain in place and the Red Cross has a shelter set up at The Dalles Middle School.

Additionally, the Wasco County Sheriff's Office says local agencies will give an update to the public at a community meeting at The Dalles High School auditorium Friday at 7 p.m.

Stay with KOIN 6 as we keep you up to date on this story.