Oregon wildfires: 17 large fires bring evacuations statewide, red flag warning Saturday

For the latest Oregon wildfire updates, see this story.

At least 17 large wildfires and numerous small blazes are burning across Oregon, bringing evacuation orders in every part of the state, following more than 1,000 lightning strikes earlier in the week.

More than 100 fires were ignited by the lightning strikes Tuesday and Wednesday, and given historically hot and dry conditions, many have grown. Additional lightning strikes forecast for Saturday night could complicate firefighting efforts statewide.

The Pacific Northwest already had 6,000 firefighters working in the field and has become the top priority nationally.

“As critical fire conditions continue this week, multiple agencies are working in concert to protect our state,” Gov. Tina Kotek said.

The governor said in a news conference on Friday the state is facing a long wildfire season.

Here's the latest updates on wildfires burning across the state.

Forecast: Wildfire danger extremely high, only expected to grow with additional lightning

Oregon's wildfire danger was at almost record levels Friday and was likely to stay there into the weekend, said John Saltenberger, fire weather meteorologist for the Northwest Coordination Center.

"We're in the 97% percentile for fire danger," he said. "The forest is ripe for any ignition, be it lightning or human-caused."

The bad news is additional dry lightning was forecast Saturday night into Sunday across western Oregon, but the most of the strikes were expected in southwest Oregon.

Saltenberger said he didn't expect it to be as many strikes as the Tuesday storm — maybe a few hundred — but that it would likely bring additional ignitions.

The silver lining is that once the storm passes, temperatures were forecast to be moderate.

"Fire danger is going to stay near record values Friday-Saturday-Sunday, but then we'll see a pattern change with temperatures dropping cooler and with more humidity," he said. "That works in our favor."

Level 3 evacuation orders issued for Lemolo Fire

The Douglas County Sheriff's Office on Saturday night issued level 3 "go now" and level 2 "be ready" evacuation orders for the Lemolo Fire. The fire was reported to be at least 179 acres.

Level 3 evacuations were issued for:

• Bunker Hill Campground

• Lemolo KOA Campground

• Poole Creek Campground/Boat Ramp

• Kelsay Valley Campground

The North Umpqua Trail between USFS 2612 Road and Windigo Pass intersection, west to North Umpqua Trail as it intersects with USFS 2612 Road.

This includes all areas on north and northeast side of Lemolo Lake, according to the sheriff's office.

Level 2 evacuation orders have been issued for:

• East Lemolo Campground

• USFS 2614 Road south of Inlet Campground, including Kelsay Valley, Pumice Flat and Elbow Butte areas.

An evacuation map can be found at www.dcso.com/evacuations

Find more info at the Diamond Complex Fire Information Facebook page.

Red Flag warning issued for southern Oregon Saturday night

A red flag warning has been issued across the length of southwest Oregon due to concern of lightning Saturday night into Sunday morning.

"Given the prolonged stretch of very hot and very dry conditions, lightning efficiency will be high to very high for fire starts. Additionally, gusty outflow winds will allow for new and existing fires to grow rapidly out of control," NWS Medford wrote in the alert.

Fire teams have been pre-positioned in advance of the storm with the goal of putting out as many fire starts as possible.

Burn ban issued for Linn County

A burn ban was issued Saturday for Albany, Lebanon, Sweet Home, Scio, Tangent, Brownsville, Halsey-Shedd and Harrisburg due to extreme weather conditions.

A Red Flag warning is also in effect due to dry weather, hot temperatures and the threat of lightning.

The Linn County Fire Defense Board is prohibiting open flames, including campfires, fire pits and warming fires. Gas grills are permitted during the ban, according to a news release from the Lebanon Fire District.

People are asked to use power equipment like mowers, weed trimmers, welders and grinders during the cooler early part of the day and to have water available when using gas-powered equipment.

Willamette National Forest issues closure order for Moss Mountain Fire

An emergency closure order was issued Saturday night for the Moss Mountain Fire in the Middle Fork Ranger District by Willamette National Forest.

The fire was started by lightning on Thursday and is 70 acres, according to a news release from Willamette National Forest.

It is located at 23S 5E S18 and adjacent to the Diamond Peak Wilderness. According to the release, the fire is burning in heavy old growth timber in steep terrain near Moss Mountain.

Closed trails include: Bear Mountain #3602, Blue Lake #3645, Corrigan Lake #3654, Diamond Lake #3699, Hemlock Butte #3620, Pacific Crest Emigrant Pass #2000, Pinto Mountain #3684, Pioneer Gulch #3630, Pool Creek #4228, Rockpile #3632 and Vivian Lake #3662.

Closed trailheads include: Bear Mountain Trailhead, Blue Lake Trailhead, Corrigan Lake Trailhead, Diamond Peak Trailhead, Hemlock Butte Trailhead, Pacific Crest Emigrant Pass Trailhead, Pioneer Gulch Trailhead, Pinto Mountain Trailhead, Pool Creek Trailhead, Rockpile Trailhead and Vivian Lake Trailhead.

For the full list of recreation sites and roads in the Moss Mountain Fire, go to: fs.usda.gov/alerts/willamette/alerts-notices

Willamette National Forest issues closure order for Tire Mountain Fire

An emergency closure order for the Tire Mountain Fire in the Middle Fork Ranger District was issued Saturday afternoon by Willamette National Forest.

The closure order is for public and firefighter safety.

Tire Mountain Fire was reported Wednesday and is an estimated 3-4 miles from Oakridge and Westfir, according to a news release from Willamette National Forest.

The fire is located at 19S 2E S12 near 1912 Forest Service Road system and Tire Mountain trail.

It has caused the closure of the Tire Mountain Trail system.

The closure area includes:

Tire Mountain Trailhead (Trail No. 3485), continuing along the length of the Tire Mountain Trail, and ending at the junction of trail numbers 3485 and 3450 for the Alpine Trail; FSR Road 1911-000 beyond the intersection with Alpine Trailhead #3; the section of the 1911-000 used to access the Alpine Trail is unaffected.

For the full list of recreation sites and roads in the Tire Mountain Fire closure area, go to : fs.usda.gov/alerts/willamette/alerts-notices

BLM closes public lands due to wildfires southeast of Cottage Grove

Bureau of Land Management public lands southeast of Cottage Grove are closed due to wildfires in the areas of Sharps Creek and Clark Creek.

"The closure is for public and firefighter safety, and to allow fire suppression crews to continue to safely respond to the incident," according to a Saturday news release from the BLM Northwest Oregon District.

The closure area includes:

The Sharps Creek Campground and BLM-managed public lands southeast of the town of Dorena, surrounding Sharps Creek Road (County Road 2460 / BLM Road No. 23-1-12) and Clark Creek Road (BLM Road No. 23-1-13). It includes BLM lands in Township 22S, Range 1W, and Township 23S, Range 1W, Sections 1-3, 11-14, 22-24, 26-27, 33-34.

These areas are closed to the public and for activities including hiking, mining, hunting and camping.

BLM said Sharps Creek Road and Clark Creek Road are open to residents in the closure area.

For more info and a map, go to : blm.gov/orwafire .

27 confirmed fires on the Umpqua National Forest

Seven of the 27 fires on the Umpqua National Forest are 100% contained as of Friday evening.

"The region is feeling a shortage of resources," a news release said. "These new fires are being staffed based on the values that are at risk."

Aviation resources have been impacted by wildfire smoke.

Current size of fires in the Umpqua National Forest as of Saturday morning:

• Pig Iron Fire: 4 acres

• Lemolo Fire: 250 acres

• Shadow Fire: 8 acres

• Adam Mountain Fire: 60 acres

• Horse Heaven Creek Fire: 50 acres

• Lost Bucket Fire: 30 acres

• Watson Fire: 10 acres

• Jack Saddle Fire: 5 acres at 30% containment

• Beaver/Reynolds Butte Fire: 18 acres

• Trep Fire: 20 acres

• Mineral Fire: 15 acres

• Brodie Fire: 28 acres

• Steelhead Fire: 40 acres

• Pine Bench Fire: 773 acres. Air resources were requested but unable to fly due to smoke.

Fires that are 100% contained: Bald Ridge Fire, Spring Fire, White Creek Fire, Puddin Fire, Tucker Fire, Donegan Fire, and Cultus Fire.

Middle Fork Fire in Crater Lake National Park jumps to 261 acres

The Middle Fork Fire burning northwest of Crater Lake reached 261 acres by Friday morning. Fire crews were engaging the blaze. It was not clear what impact the fire is having on Crater Lake National Park, and the park remained open.

Willamette National Forest issues closure due to Chalk and Pyramid Fire

Effective Saturday, the Willamette National Forest has issued closure in the Middle Fork Ranger District for the Chalk Fire.

East of Saddleblanket Mountain, the lighting sparked fire has grown to 110 acres since first reported on Wednesday.

Closed recreation sites and campgrounds include North Fork Segment #2 Trailhead and Trail 1912 and 1919.

The Willamette National Forest has also issued closures due to the 300-acre Pyramid Fire in the Sweet Home Ranger District.

The fire was first reported on Wednesday and has brought a level 3 "go now" for a large area of the Sweet Home Ranger District.

Highway Closures due to Jackpine Fire

The Deschutes County Sheriff's Office has closed Highway 31 north and southbound due to the 180-acre Jackpine Fire.

A lever 2 "be set" evacuation has been issued west of Highway 97 to the Deschutes County line south of Masten Road.

Find current evacuation areas at: deschutes.org/emergency

Oregon State Fire Marshal sends resources to Durkee Fire in Baker County

On Friday, the Oregon State Fire Marshal sent structural protection resources in the form of firefighters and equipment to fight the now 15,577-acre fire in Eastern Oregon.

The fire was first reported on Wednesday and sparked by lightning strikes. The fire has brought level 1, 2 and 3 evacuations around Baker County. An evacuation map can be found at bit.ly/3YaNUJ0

Pyramid Fire grows to 60 acres, brings large level 3 evacuation to Tombstone Pass area east of Sweet Home, south of Detroit

The Pyramid Fire grew to at least 60 acres by Friday morning east of Sweet Home in the Tombstone Pass area north of Highway 20 and south of Detroit near Santiam Junction.

In response, Linn County Sheriff Michelle Duncan issued a level 3 "go now" evacuation order for a large area of the Sweet Home Ranger District that mostly includes hiking trails and campgrounds in the Old Cascades region. The evacuation was coordinated with the U.S. Forest Service, and a closure of the area was likely.

"Sheriff Duncan wants everyone to know that the large evacuation area is necessary to give wildfire response teams enough space to safely travel and fight the fire. The fire itself is much smaller than the evacuation area," a news release said.

No residential structures were in jeopardy of the fire.

View a map of the closure area at tinyurl.com/LinnCoFireMap .

Oregon has already burned more acres than all of 2023 and almost 2022

Oregon has burned a whopping 434,821 acres in 30 large wildfires already this season, in addition to issuing 88 evacuation orders and warnings.

The acres burned this season is already more than all of last year and almost more than all of 2022.

This graph shows the number of acres burned over the years, with 2024 including data through July 19.

Watch Oregon lightning storm in real time

This video, created by Dakota Smith (@weatherdak on X), shows Tuesday's lightning storm rolling across Oregon and illustrates why so many fires have ignited.

Oakridge evacuation warnings downgraded to level 1

The area east of High Prairie Road milepost 5.5, including Dead Mountain, Mountain View, Huckleberry and High Prairie Loop has been downgraded to level 1 "be ready," as of Friday afternoon.

The northern part of Oakridge remained on level 1 and 2 evacuation warnings Friday morning. In the McKenzie Corridor, the Ore Fire burning near Blue River is at 534 acres as of Saturday afternoon. Here are more details on fires burning in Willamette National Forest east of Salem and Eugene.

The High Prairie Fire, listed at 10 acres, brought a level 2 and level 1 evacuation warnings north of Oakridge . The latest evacuation map can be seen at bit.ly/4bPids2 . Another fire, the McKinley Fire, is also north of Oakridge and estimated at 3 acres.

Air quality in Eugene and Oakridge degrades

The air quality in Eugene and Oakridge has degraded from the growing amount of wildfire on Friday morning.

Eugene is now averaging at moderate air quality, which means, air quality is acceptable. However, there may be risk for some people.

Oakridge was degraded to "Unhealthy for Sensitive groups."

The Air Quality Index can be found here, Oregon Department of Environmental Quality

Suppression efforts continue on Ore Fire

The Ore fire, burning 7 miles northeast of Blue River, has reached 500 acres as of Saturday morning.

Increased fire activity on Friday led to resources withdrawing along the fire line due to safety concerns. Northwest Critical Incident Management Team 10 took command of the fire Friday evening.

Rugged terrain of the Cascades and hot dry weather pose difficulties for crews battling the flames.

"Fire personnel will be working with heavy equipment along FS Road 15 and 1509," the news release said. "Fire managers ask the public to drive defensively while crews diligently work to complete suppression efforts along the road."

Ore Fire reaches 440 acres in McKenzie Corridor, Blue River Reservoir campgrounds, trails closed

Willamette National Forest issued a closure order around much of Blue River Reservoir due to the 440-acre Ore Fire located north of Rainbow in the McKenzie River corridor.

The closure included the following sites: Buck Mountain Trail, Tidbits South and West Trail, Gold Hill Trail, Mona Campground, Lookout Campground, and Saddle Dam Boat Launch.

A full map and breakdown of the closure can be found at bit.ly/4f2uzQi .

Level 3 evacuation orders remain for Wickiup Reservoir area in Central Oregon

The Round Mountain and Wickiup fires on Deschutes National Forest reached a combined 250 acres by Friday morning, according to Central Oregon Fire Info. Level 2 and 3 evacuation orders were issued around Wickiup Reservoir.

Both fires were expected to remain active given the hot temperatures, although fire crews were making some progress, COFI said.

Evacuation maps can be found at bit.ly/3Wr3y1B .

Cluster of fires southeast of Dorena

There were cluster of fires burning southeast of Cottage Drove and Dorena, including the Lane 1 Fire (250 acres), Adam Mountain Fire (60 acres) and a few others. The impact was unclear.

Evacuation warnings for North Umpqua area due to Boulder Fire/Pine Bench fires near Toketee Falls

A level 2 "be set" evacuation warning was issued due to the Boulder Flat/Pine Bench Fire east of Roseburg and Glide in the North Umpqua Canyon near Toketee Falls. The evacuation was for homes in the Slide Creek area downstream to the Soda Springs area due to a fire near Soda Springs and Pine Bench in Toketee.

The fire was listed at roughly 250 acres Friday morning. A map of the evacuation area can be found here: bit.ly/4dc3qsB .

Rogue River fires mostly snuffed out

In a bit of good news, fire crews reported keeping the wildfires ignited in the famed Rogue River Canyon small and they appeared to be under control, according to the Oregon Department of Forestry.

Fire crews hiked into rugged terrain, and hot shots dropped into the canyon, to keep one of Oregon's most popular rafting rivers open.

Fire restrictions in place for Willamette and Siuslaw national forests, majority of places in Oregon

The majority of Oregon's national and state forests outlawed campfires, except in campgrounds.

Willamette National Forest and Siuslaw national forests, to the east and west of the Willamette Valley, implemented fire restrictions this week.

Fire restrictions prohibit all campfires, charcoal or briquette fires, pellet fires or other open fires outside of designated campgrounds. Building, maintaining or using a fire, campfire or stove was still permitted in designated metal campfire rings or grills in designated recreational sites.

Restrictions for smoking, off-highway vehicles and chainsaws in campgrounds were also in effect.

Restrictions and updates to restrictions as they change can be found at fs.usda.gov/main/willamette/fire .

Deteriorating air quality east of the Cascades

Air quality was moderate to poor east of the Cascades Friday morning, with numerous fires burning across the state's east side.

Bend's air quality was "moderate" while Burns was at "unhealthy," according to air quality metrics from around the state.

Oregon's west side was in decent shape and that appears likely to remain in place Friday.

An air quality map can be found at aqi.oregon.gov/

Gov. Tina Kotek invokes Conflagration Act for fires in Umatilla County

Kotek invoked the Emergency Conflagration Act for a series of fires in Umatilla County near Pilot Rock late Wednesday night. The Oregon State Fire Marshal is mobilizing its Green Incident Management Team to protect homes in the area.

The Pilot Rock Fire is the largest of the blazes at 10,000 acres but there are a number of other fires in the area as well, including the NF Owens Fire at 952 acres.

"Significant lightning storms moved through Umatilla County Wednesday afternoon and have kept local fire agencies busy responding to wildfires. Gusty winds and dry conditions caused some of these fires to grow exponentially and threaten life and property," a news release said.

Oregon State Fire Marshal requests aid from California to fight Falls Fire

The Oregon State Fire Marshal requested help from California to protect life and property against the growing Falls Fire in Harney County on Friday morning.

California Governor's Office of Emergency Services provided three strike teams with 15 fire engines and 80 firefighters from nine different counties to provide structural protection.

“A huge thanks to California Governor's Office of Emergency Services for sending these resources,” the news release said. “The OSFM has strong relationships with our neighboring states. We're always ready to help when each other is in need.”

The Falls Fire in Grant and Harney counties about 13.5 miles north of Burns reached 110,674 acres by Friday morning and was at 5% containment.

Level 1, 2 and 3 evacuation orders remained in place in Grant and Harney counties. The Harney County Sheriff’s evacuation map can be found at bit.ly/4d1XvX2 for the most accurate evacuation notices.

Ten residences and 13 "other" structures were destroyed in the early stages of the fire, according to Oregon State Fire Marshal structure teams.

This fire forced the closure of several areas in the Malheur National Forest. Emigrant Creek Campground , Falls Campground , Yellowjacket Campground and Delintment Lake Campground were all closed.

Larch Creek Fire appears to slow, containment increased

The Larch Creek Fire grew rapidly in Wasco County to an estimated at 84,00 acres and 40% containment as of Friday morning.

Firefighters had fully lined the perimeter.

Wasco County Sheriff's Office lifted some evacuation orders and reopened Pine Hollow Reservoir and asked the public, "to recreate safely and stay aware of current fire evacuation orders. All evacuations will remain in place today and re-evaluated tonight at 6 p.m."

Evacuation orders at levels 1, 2 and 3 remained in place. An evacuation map can be found at bit.ly/4bPdmae .

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: 17 large fires bring evacuations statewide, red flag warning Saturday