Banks Fire battling vegetation blaze near Highway 6

A Banks Fire Department fire engine (Banks Fire)

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Crews are battling a vegetation fire near Highway 6 and authorities said there may be a powerline down in the blaze.

According to Banks Fire, crews worked to position themselves to battle the blaze which began on Timber Road.

The fire is in an area that is difficult to reach and fire officials said that led to difficulty trying to get water lines around the blaze.

A representative from Banks Fire also shared that a powerline was possibly down inside the fire, but it isn’t known yet if that’s what caused the fire.

At around 1:30 p.m., Banks Fire shared that crews were attempting to mop up the remaining smoldering debris and that it would still be about another hour before the fire is fully out.

Authorities are warning people to avoid the area as traffic could cause problems for crews trying to access the fire.