Oregon Public Broadcasting

A team of about 50 veteran Oregon firefighters has arrived in Washington to help fight an out-of-control blaze north of Hood River.

A 30-acre fire was reported near the Mount Adams Wilderness Area on Saturday. It has ballooned to 8000 acres as of Monday afternoon,  pushed by strong winds.

Local firefighters say they didn't have the resources to manage that size of a fire and asked for regional help from a wildfire-trained crew. All of the more experienced crews in Washington are deployed fighting other fires.

Paul Ries is a spokesman for the Northwest Coordination Center. He says the Oregon firefighters will start attacking the fire Monday afternoon.

Paul Ries: “Anytime a fire gets beyond the local resources, they bring in a team that is trained to fight large fires. And that's why the Central Oregon team will be crossing the Columbia and going to fight the fire in Washington.”

The fire has grown so fast that it currently is 100 percent uncontained and there is no estimated containment date.

Officials say the fire, called the Cold Springs fire because of a nearby camp site, was started by a lightning storm.

About 200 hikers in the area have been safely escorted away by fire personnel.