Columbia County "Very Unhealthy" on U.S. Air Quality Index

DAYTON—In the aftermath of the Flood of 2020, and during the COVID-19 shutdown, Columbia County Commissioner Mike Talbott expressed the following sentiment.

“All we need now is a trifecta.”

Talbott was referring to the addition of wildfire to the year’s challenges.

Columbia County witnessed its first fire of the season this month; the Rattlesnake Fire, thirteen miles southeast of Dayton, burned roughly 475 acres in the Umatilla National Forest. Emergency Management Director Ashley Strickland said conditions are just right to make this a prime time for wildfire.

Wildfires cause other problems b...