Update: All lanes of Interstate 84 open in E. Oregon after Thursday wildfire closure

Both the eastbound and westbound lanes of Interstate 84 in eastern Oregon are open Friday after a wildfire near Ontario forced the freeway’s closure Thursday.

The Oregon Department of Transportation tweeted at about 9 p.m. Thursday that the eastbound lanes had opened but that motorists might still see activity and fire crews near I-84.

Below is Thursday evening’s story:

A wildfire burning along Interstate 84 in eastern Oregon closed the highway in both directions for several hours Thursday, but the westbound lanes reopened at about 6:30 p.m., officials said.

The Oregon Department of Transportation said in a midafternoon news release that eastbound lanes of I-84 were closed between Exit 216, which is 6 miles east of Pendleton, and Exit 374 in Ontario, about 4 miles across the state line from Idaho. Westbound lanes were closed between Exit 374 in Ontario and Baker City.

A news release from ODOT after 6 p.m. said the westbound freeway had reopened.

Oregon 245 southwest of Baker City was still closed to all but local traffic, according to the release.

There are not “viable local detours” in Oregon around the highway closure, officials said, and they warned motorists not to try to find alternate routes because they could wind up on “remote, unserviced roads.”

The fire was detected Thursday just before noon to the west of the freeway and only a couple of miles northwest of Ontario, and had burned through about 15 acres by 1:30 p.m. High winds in the area were hampering fire crews’ efforts to bring it under containment, according to the release.

Travelers can go to TripCheck.com or call 503-588-2941 for updates.

This story was originally published September 1, 2022 at 3:47 PM.