Level 3 'go now' evacuation ordered near McKenzie Bridge for Lookout Fire

For the latest updates on the Lookout Fire, see our Saturday update.

Overnight, the 5,537-acre Lookout Fire burning north of McKenzie Bridge crossed over the border Linn County shares with Lane County.

Both Linn County and Lane County Sheriff’s Offices are coordinating efforts with Lookout Fire Command and the Incident Management Team. The evacuations for both counties changed Friday afternoon.

The Lane County level 3 "go now" evacuations include:

• The area south of Highway 126 to the McKenzie River from the east end of McKenzie River Drive to the McKenzie River Bridge just east of Taylor Road

• Taylor Road

• North Bank Road

• All areas north of Highway 126 between Blue River Reservoir Road and Drury Lane

• Mona Campground

• Lookout Campground

• H.J. Andrews Headquarters

• The area west of Highway 126 from Scott Road north into Linn County

The Lane County level 2 evacuations include:

• Paradise Campground

• Forest Service Road 302

• Highway 126 from the Highway 242 junction to Scott Road.

• Belknap Springs Road S.

• The area east of Highway 126 from Scott Road north into Linn County.

The Lane County level 1 evacuations include:

• Highway 242 to Forest Service Road 220

• Yale Lane

• Camp Yale Road

• Forest Service Road 2643 southeast to the 445 spur

• Areas south of Highway 126 from Blue River Reservoir Road east to Foley Ridge Road.

• McKenzie River Drive.

Linn County level 3 evacuations include:

• Olallie Campground

• Trail Bridge Reservoir & Campground

• Trail systems and roadways north of the Linn County line and west of Highway 126.

• Then from Highway 126, the evacuation order extends north to the intersection of National Forest Service Road 730 and Highway 126 (entrance to the Carmen-Smith Hydroelectric facility).

Tamolitch Falls/Blue Pool and Smith Reservoir are both in the level 2 evacuation notice from Linn County.

Sahalie Falls has also been added to the closure area near the fire in the Willamette National Forest.

Other areas under level 2 evacuation orders in Linn County:

• The area from the east side of Olallie Campground east to the Willamette National Forest Boundary.

• North along the boundary to Ice Cap Campground and Trailhead

• Then west to encompass Lakes End Campground and trail system

• And south with the intersection of National Forest Service Road 730 and Highway 126 (entrance to the Carmen-Smith Hydroelectric facility).

The level 1 Linn County evacuation zone includes all areas around Clear Lake, and Clear Lake Campground:

• Areas north of Ice Cap Campground

• The order extends east to the Willamette National Forest boundary

• Then north in line with Highway 20.

As of Friday morning, no structures have been burnt by the Lookout Fire.

The sheriff's office said Highway 126 will remain open for traffic. An interactive map of Linn County and Lane County can be found on both Sheriff's Office websites.

Lookout Fire containment efforts and shelter information

The fire started Aug. 5 north of McKenzie Bridge. A heavily forested area and rugged terrain originally made it difficult for crews to get to the fire and it has rapidly spread over the past week.

The fire kept north of Forest Road 700 Thursday, as structural crews continued preparing nearby buildings. Part of the efforts was focused on the historic Belknap Bridge as firefighters installed a sprinkler system sustained by a mobile water reservoir.

“The successful work from firefighters conducting strategic firing operations is protecting the community of Mckenzie Bridge, including Taylor Road and North Bank,” a Friday morning update from the fire team said. “Oregon State Fire Marshal task forces have completed surface preparation work and moved into full preparations on structures, expanding upon earlier work to improve defensible space.”

Deer Creek Road is being prepared by crews as a control line Friday morning. From the west and northwest, digging handline and machinery is being used to connect current control lines.

“Today, task forces will continue to ensure thorough structural preparation work is completed, using a combination of techniques to reduce receptive fuels and vegetation around buildings,” according to the Friday update.

A shelter for evacuees from the Bedrock and Lookout Fires was opened by the Red Cross at Lowell High School, 65 Pioneer St. A non-emergency line for the Bedrock and Lookout fires can be reached at 541-682-2055 for evacuation information.

For large animals or livestock sheltering, shelter is available at the Lane Events Center at 796 W. 13th Ave. in Eugene. Owners need to call or text Lane County Animal Services at 541-285-8227 before getting to the center and need to leave a message including the number and type of animals.

American Red Cross shelter coordinator Donda King said 90% of the more than 20 people at the shelter evacuated from the Lookout Fire.

“A lot of them have gone through previous fires," King said "If it wasn’t here it was down in California."

"It’s sad talking to them," she said. "I can’t imagine going through it one time."

The shelter has enough donations, but is looking for a partner to provide propane and gas vouchers. Money donations can be made by calling 1-800-red-cross (1-800-733-2767) or at redcross.org “It’s the funds that help us purchase the meals and the supplies that they need,” King said.

Communities look for support following Lookout Fire evacuations

For the communities under the fire’s evacuation order, similarities between the Lookout Fire and the Holiday Farm Fire just three years earlier are too close for comfort.

“I lost my business, my home in Blue River,” Chris LaVoie, the community outreach coordinator of McKenzie Community Partnership said. “I can’t tell you the amount of anxiety that I've been feeling … we've got a lot of people that pre-evacuated, even if they weren't in the zone, it's just because the last one is so hard. It was so devastating.”

The 2020 Holiday Farm Fire burnt more than 173,000 acres, including more than 500 homes and businesses. McKenzie River communities have been rebuilding ever since.

The McKenzie Community Partnership has spent three years trying to support different projects and approaches to recover structurally and economically from damage.

This time, the organization is trying to start efforts as soon as possible.

“We're gearing up to try to figure out how we can support people before, instead of after,” LaVoie said.

Those looking to help anyone displaced by the Lookout Fire can find a donation fund on the MCP website.

“A few years and still very little has come back,” LaVoie said. “The consultants that came through after the last fire told us, ‘you know, the first year, people are usually really good about helping after the fire. After that, they forget.’ And we're all still struggling from that.”

Abigail Landwehr is an outdoors journalism intern for the Statesman Journal. She can be reached at alandwehr@gannett.com

This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Level 3 'go now' evacuation ordered near McKenzie Bridge