Oregon wildfire spotted near Blue River east of Eugene

A wildfire broke out Tuesday afternoon off state route 126 in the Cascade Range, sending a plume of smoke above the evergreens amid high temperatures and red flag warnings across western Oregon.

Smoke was reported just after 1 p.m. north of Blue River Reservoir, about 50 miles east of Eugene.

The fire appeared well established on images from a remote camera from Deathball Mountain, operated by the Oregon Hazards Lab at the University of Oregon.

Smoke from the fire was visible from the surrounding area, where the 126 crosses through the mountain range. It was burning near National Forest Road 15, about a mile from the northernmost campsites at the reservoir.

The fire adds to a sometimes scary week for wildfires across Oregon, with the threat of high winds and thunderstorms this week joining the already high temperatures and dry conditions across most of the state.

Temperatures were forecasted to reach 98 degrees in Blue River on Tuesday.

A red flag warning was issued Tuesday for the Willamette Valley and the length of Western Oregon due to the possibility of thunderstorms and lightning igniting new wildfires.

"Frequent lightning and critically dry fuels may result in numerous fire starts," the National Weather Service alerted on Tuesday. "Thunderstorm outflow winds may result in erratic fire spread."

Red flag warnings are issued when conditions create the likely chance of new wildfires igniting or rapidly spreading, although it doesn't mean a fire is imminent.

This story will be updated as more information is made available.