Oregon wildfires: Closure issued for McKenzie Pass area, incoming rain should help fires

Story updated at 8:11 a.m. on Monday, Sept. 9

Lightning strikes, hot temperatures and dry winds fueled the ignition and spread of numerous Oregon wildfires over the weekend

Here are updates on the most active fires, evacuations and closures.

Widespread rain in the forest should help with fires

Widespread rain of between a quarter and a half inch looks increasingly likely Tuesday into Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service in Portland.

The rain should help dampen fires that have ignited particularly in the Cascade Range.

However, there is also a chance for around a quarter inch of rain east of the Cascades, as well, according to NWS in Pendleton.

Oregon's fire season continues to break records for acres burned

The number of acres burned in Oregon continued to grow, reaching 1.74 million acres by Sunday. The majority of those fires have been grass fires burning east of the Cascades, but it's still been a major season just about everywhere.

After a lull in wildfire acres burned during August, following widespread rain, the hot, dry and windy weather, combined with lightning strikes, brought renewed activity.

Oregon's previous record for acres burned was 1.2 million acres in 2012, followed by 1.1 million in 2020.

Linton Creek Fire burns 600 acres near McKenzie Pass, sweeping closures including PCT issued

The Linton Creek Fire grew to 600 acres near McKenzie Pass by Sunday night morning in the area around Linton Meadows and Eileen Lake, west of the Three Sisters Wilderness.

In response, the U.S. Forest Service issued a sweeping closure including: The Pacific Crest Trailhead at McKenzie Pass, Linton Lake, Hank Lake Cutoff, Obsidian Stock, Proxy Falls, Separation Lake-Louise Creek, Foley Ridge, Rainbow Falls and Horse Creek.

The PCT is closed from Highway 242 (mile 1985.3) and the junction with the Wickiup Plains Trail (mile 1961).

For a map and closure order, see this page.

Man arrested for lighting fires along Interstate 5 south of Eugene

A 52-year-old man was arrested Saturday for allegedly lightning fires along Interstate 5 in Goshen, according to the Lane County Sheriff’s Office.

The man faces five counts of arson in the first degree, five counts of reckless burning, five counts of reckless endangering, disorderly conduct in the second degree and resisting arrest.

Full story here.

Boulder Creek Fire brings evacuation warnings near Clear Lake

The Boulder Creek Fire, burning just north of the junction between Highway 126 and 242, east of Eugene, has brought a closure to the Clear Lake area.

A level 1 evacuation warning, meaning be prepared, was issued for areas north of McKenzie Highway from the East end of Drury Lane and east to Old Clear Lake Cutoff Loop.

Little Lava Fire grows to 1,000 acres

The Little Lava Fire, burning just southeast of Lava Lake in Central Oregon, grew rapidly to 1,000 acres by Monday morning.

"Multiple ground resources including engines and dozers are responding," Central Oregon Fire Information said.

Backside Fire brings closure to Mt. Bachelor, Todd Lake, Sparks Lake area outside Bend

Closure orders have been issued for the Mount Bachelor and Cascade Lakes Scenic Highway area outside Bend due to the Backside Fire.

The 85-acre blaze, located west of Mount Bachelor in a roadless area, has brought a closure to the following areas.

• Edison SnoPark

• Edison Shelter

• AC/DC Shelter

• Sheridan Shelter

• Quinn Meadow Trailhead

• Quinn Meadow Horse Camp

• Devil’s Lake Camp

• Devil’s Lake Trailhead

• Soda Creek Campground

• Sparks Lake Picnic Area

• Ray Atkeson Trailhead

• Todd Creek Horse Camp

• Todd Creek Trailhead

• Mount Bachelor

All roads within the area closure are closed. Cascade Lakes Highway and River-Summit Drive will remain open for public use.

The fire was estimated at 80 acres by Saturday night., according to Central Oregon Fire Information. There are other smaller fires in the same area, likely caused by Friday night's lightning storm.

“Multiple air and ground resources are responding,” COFI said on social media.

The fire was one of 15 that popped up Saturday following numerous lightning strikes in the area.

"Fires were predominately clustered near the Mt. Bachelor Roadless Area and the eastern edge of Flat Top Butte and East Butte," COFI said. "These wind-driven fires grew at a rapid rate of spread throughout the day resulting in very large acreage increases."

Maps of the evacuation area can be found here.

Firestone Fire grows to 3,000 acres, largest among new blazes ignited in Central Oregon

In addition to the Backside Fire, crews took on an additional 14 fires Saturday in the Deschutes National Forest near Bend. The fires ranged in size from a quarter of an acre to 150 acres.

The largest blaze so far was the Firestone Fire, which grew to over 3,000 acres southeast of Newberry Caldera on the Deschutes National Forest, burning in brush and timber.

"Multiple air and ground resources are responding. A complex incident management team has been ordered," COFI said Saturday night.

The fire has brought the following closures:

The following developed recreation sites are temporarily closed:

• NFSR 25 OHV Trailhead (RD 25 Trailhead)

• NFSR 2510 OHV Trailhead (Rd 2510 Trailhead)

• Camp 11 OHV Trailhead

• Groundhog OHV Trailhead

• China Hat Campground

• South Lava OHV Trailhead

• South Ice Cave Picnic Area

Roads in the area:

• All National Forest System Roads found within the area closure are closed.

• NFSR 23 will remain open for public use. NFSR 22 west of the closure boundary will remain open for public use.

• NFSR 18 north and south of the closure boundary will remain open for public use.

New fire near Belknap Hot Springs reported

A new wildfire, called the Boulder Creek Fire, has been reported east of Clear Lake-Belknap Springs Highway.

The fire is estimated at 5 to 6 acres.

"Three engine crews have been dispatched along with a type I large helicopter to help with suppression tactics using water bucket drops. Additional resources have been ordered to help combat the fire. The fire is currently burning in brush and timber at a moderate rate with 2–4-foot flame length. Please use caution if you are in the area," an update from Willamette National Forest said.

Level 3 evacuations ordered near Tiller due to Devils Knob Fire

Level 3 "go now" evacuation orders were issued Friday night for the Tiller area east of Canyonville due to the Devils Knob Fire, currently over 2,000 acres. An evacuation map can be found here.

The fire is burning in Umpqua National Forest north of Shady Cove.

Milepost 98 Fire near Canyonville brings evacuations, but I-5 still open

A wildfire near Milepost 98 on Interstate 5 near Canyonville in southern Oregon brought level 3 evacuations to the surrounding area.

The fire was estimated at 206 acres as of Saturday morning. Fire crews are building lines around the blaze while aircraft drops water when possible, a Friday report said.

I-5 remained open with delays as of Friday morning. An evacuation map can be found at bit.ly/4cRppEp.

208 Fire near Diamond Peak grows to 6,936 acres

The 208 Fire located near Diamond Peak and southeast of Oakridge grew again Friday, reaching 6,936 acres by Saturday morning.

"Instability is high, and while moisture is lacking for showers or storms, there is still a possibility of isolated storms in the area by late afternoon," a Saturday morning report said.

Three hotshot crews and all available aircraft are working to slow rate of spread and develop new strategic plans towards containment, fire officials said Friday.

Rail Ridge Fire explodes to 121,923 acres, another 'very active fire day' possible

Gov. Tina Kotek invoked the Emergency Conflagration Act for two wildfires in eastern Oregon on Friday. The Rail Ridge Fire, located 7 miles south of Dayville, exploded to 121,923 acres as of Saturday morning. It became just the latest in a string of megafires — blazes over 100,000 acres — in eastern Oregon this fire season.

The act was also declared for the Shoe Fly Fire, a 21,623 acre blaze near the Painted Hills.

The Oregon State Fire Marshal said its mobilizing its Blue Incident Management Team and several task forces to the Rail Ridge Fire in Grant and Crook counties and the Shoe Fly Fire in Wheeler County.

The two fires are being managed by an incident management team from California.

“The conditions we are seeing on the ground are very dynamic with several fires burning in the region," Oregon State Fire Marshal Mariana Ruiz-Temple said in a news release. "There’s no real relief in the forecast over the weekend and into early next week.”

On Saturday, with the red flag warning in effect, the Rail Ridge Fire could see another "very active fire day."

A breakdown of the current evacuations and land closures for the Rail Fire can be found here.

For the Shoe Fly Fire, an evacuation map can be found at bit.ly/3AMGli3.

Air quality declines for much of Oregon. When will it improve?

Wildfire smoke impacted Oregon’s air quality across the state on Saturday, but it's expected to gradually improve over the weekend, according to the National Weather Service.

Air quality declined Friday to “moderate” across west side of the stat and “unhealthy for sensitive groups” in Central Oregon and the Cascade Mountains.

A change is forecast gradually over the weekend.

“The smoke should start to thin out (Saturday) and there shouldn’t be much of any smoke left by Sunday (on the west side of the state),” NWS meteorologist Clinton Rockey said.

“The smoke will still be a problem on the east side and central parts of the state, but even there it shouldn’t be as bad because the weather should cause the fires to quiet down a little,” Rockey added.

Red Fire reaches 1,018 acres acres near Diamond Peak, keeps PCT closed

The Red Fire located near Crescent Lake was more active and reached 1,018 acres acres.

A closure remained in place around Crescent Lake and in the Diamond Peak Wilderness on Friday, and the Pacific Crest Trail was closed from north of Windigo Pass (Mile 1883.5) to Highway 58 (Mile 1909.5).

Fire south of Salem put out Thursday

A 1 acre wildfire was extinguished Thursday afternoon south of Salem on Riverside Drive, just north of Ankeny National Wildlife Refuge.

The fire brought major concern and evacuations, but was caught by fire crews.

Historic Columbia River Highway trail closed between Mosier and Hood River

The Historic Columbia River Highway State Trail is closed between Mosier and Hood River due to a ground fire near an old dumping area, which could release toxic smoke, according to the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department.

"Please avoid this closed area," the agency said in a social media post. "You can still enjoy the section between the Wyeth trailhead and Viento State Park."

Fossil Complex established to manage four fires

The Fossil Complex is comprised of four fires in eastern Oregon near the town of Fossil. The fires include the Canyon, Holmes, and Kinzua fires. The blazes were reported Thursday as hot and dry conditions led to new fire and the spread of fires across the state. The fires cover roughly 1,000 to 1,500 acres of grass and timber.

Huckleberry Ridge Fire in SW Washington could push smoke into Portland

A 150-acre fire burning in southwest Washington, the Huckleberry Ridge Fire, could push smoke into the Portland area as the blaze grows in the Willapa Hills area.

Wiley Flat Fire is 18,000 acres

The Wiley Flat Fire located in the Maury Mountains east of Bend reached 18,000 acres.

Copperfield Fire reaches 43% containment

The Copperfield Fire located north of Klamath Falls reached 43% containment by Friday morning. The fire brought level 3 evacuation orders to the area but has since shown limited growth.

Zach Urness has been an outdoors reporter in Oregon for 16 years and is host of the Explore Oregon Podcast. Urness is the author of “Best Hikes with Kids: Oregon” and “Hiking Southern Oregon.” He can be reached at zurness@StatesmanJournal.com or (503) 399-6801. Find him on X at @ZachsORoutdoors.

This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Oregon wildfires: Sweeping closure issued for McKenzie Pass area, PCT