HOOD RIVER, Ore. (AP) - The Latest on the Oregon hikers awaiting rescue due to the growing wildfires (all times local):
2:30 p.m.
All of the hikers forced to spend the night in the mountains east of Portland, Oregon, after wildfires trapped them have made it down the trail to safety.
The Hood River County Sheriff’s Office said Sunday that the final group has left the Wahtum Lake area at the bottom of the trail and were headed by bus to meet with their friends and family.
Deputy Joel Ives says all of the hikers were accounted for.
Ives says one hiker was taken out by ambulance for exhaustion and dehydration.
The U.S. Forest Service says the wildfire was human-caused and is under investigation by the Oregon State Police.
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1 p.m.
Officials say two busloads of hikers have been reunited with their friends and family after they were forced to spend the night in the mountains east of Portland when a wildfire closed their trail.
Mountain Wave Search and Rescue president Russ Gubele says about 104 people have made their way down a different trail to safety.
About 42 more were expected to arrive at Wahtum Lake by early Sunday afternoon. They would then take a bus to meet their families.
Many of the hikers had gone up the Eagle Creek trail on Saturday to swim at the popular waterfalls and pools, but a fire cut them off. The only other way out was longer and more difficult, so officials told them to stay in place until Sunday morning.
The first group made it out by about 10:30 a.m. and the last group was expected by about 1 or 1:30 p.m.
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10:45 a.m.
Officials say six hikers have been rescued after more than 100 were trapped overnight between two wildfires on an Oregon trail.
The Hood River County Sheriff’s Office says family and friends can reunite with the hikers at the Eagle Creek Fish Hatchery.
The Mountain Wave Search and Rescue team says they have buses ready to pick up the hikers when they come out.
About 130 homes in Cascade Locks were under evacuation orders because of the wildfire, which has grown to almost 5 square miles (13 square kilometers).
A Red Cross shelter was set up at the Skamania County Fairgrounds, across the Columbia River in Stevenson, Washington.
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8:50 a.m.
More than 100 hikers in Oregon are awaiting rescue after they were forced to shelter in place on a popular trail about 90 miles (144 kilometers) east of Portland because of wildfires.
The Oregonian/OregonLive (https://bit.ly/2ezDZJY ) reported the hikers were still awaiting rescue early Sunday morning as the fire near Eagle Creek Trail grows.
About 140 hikers were forced to spend the night outside near Tunnel Falls after a fire broke out near the Columbia River Gorge trail.
Mountain Wave Search and Rescue president Russ Gubele says search-and rescue-teams will walk the hikers out toward Wahtum Lake once it gets light.
He says 14 hikers were brought out and returned to Eagle Creek and three hikers were rescued by National Guard helicopter.
Mountain Wave dropped supplies to the hikers.
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