Riverside Fire now 31 percent contained; rain, strong winds expected in burn scar area through Friday

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    CLACKAMAS COUNTY, OR (KPTV) — Fire officials are warning about the possibility of debris flows and downed trees in the Riverside Fire zone due to moderate rain and strong winds expected through Friday.

As of Wednesday morning, the Riverside Fire is 31 percent contained – which is a five percent jumped from Tuesday.

According to the U.S. Forest Service, the fire grew only seven acres between Tuesday and Wednesday morning. The wildfire has now burned about 138,027 acres.

A total of 671 personnel are assigned to fighting the Riverside Fire, including personnel from 27 states.

Fire officials say moderate rain expected to begin Wednesday evening may result in debris flows or rockslides over the burn scar areas. Plus, additional rain and high winds are expected through Friday and possibly Saturday morning. The high winds could down fire-weakened trees and standing dead trees.

“Areas recently burned by wildfires are particularly vulnerable to flash floods and debris flows during rainstorms,” warned Incident Commander Alan Sinclair. “Even areas that are not traditionally flood-prone are at risk after a wildfire, due to changes to the landscape caused by fire.”

There were no updates to the evacuation levels on Wednesday morning. Current evacuation information can be found here.

The Riverside Fire has been determined to be human-caused.

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