Oregon wildfires: Air quality declines statewide, red flag warning extended amid new fires

A red flag warning was extended until Friday evening as new wildfires ignited and existing fires spread across Oregon.

The warning was extended due to continued hot temperatures, low humidity and gusty winds, and was set to remain in place until 11 p.m. Friday, the National Weather Service said .

East winds often fuel fire growth this time of year, including more severe examples during September 2020 and 2022. These winds aren’t quite as strong, but they have brought fire growth.

Here are the latest wildfire updates across Oregon.

Air quality declines for much of Oregon

An air quality advisory has been issued for much of Oregon due to the growing number of fires.

By Friday afternoon, most of the state's air quality had dropped to "moderate" and many places in western Oregon, including the Eugene area and Santiam Canyon, had dropped to "unhealthy for sensitive groups."

Although most of the state is being impacted, the air quality advisory was issued for these counties: Clackamas, Crook, Deschutes, Grant, Harney, Jefferson, northern Klamath, northern Lake, northern Malheur. The advisories remain in effect through Sunday for western Oregon and until further notice for central and eastern Oregon.

Milepost 98 Fire near Canyonville brings evacuations

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 93 acres as of Friday morning. Fire activity died down overnight.

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

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 .

208 Fire, burning near Diamond Peak, doubles in size

The 208 Fire located near Diamond Peak and southeast of Oakridge doubled in size amid hot temperatures and east winds on Thursday, reaching 4,555 acres by Friday morning.

The fire was 0% contained as of Friday morning.

"Elevated fire activity has compromised previously identified lines," a Friday 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.

"Active flanking is anticipated around all portions of the fire perimeter except rocky portions within the wilderness and areas to the north, northwest where previous fuels treatments are slowing the rate of spread," the report said.

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.

Shoe Fly Fire reaches 21,623 acres near Painted Hills

The Shoe Fly Fire located just north of Mitchell and the Painted Hills unit of the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument reached 21,623 acres.

“Hot temperatures and low relative humidity prompted a more active day on the Shoe Fly Fire,” fire crews said. Level 3 evacuation orders were in place around the blaze and level 1 and 2 warnings were issued near Highway 26.

The majority of Mitchell, on the south side of Highway 26, was not in an evacuation zone as of Friday morning. The Painted Hills also did not appear to be in an evacuation zone. A map can be found at bit.ly/3AMGli3 .

Devil’s Knob Fire reaches 1,752 acres in southern Oregon

The Devil’s Knob Fire located east of Riddle and Tiller reached 1,752 acres in the Umpqua National Forest.

“Aerial and ground resources arrived on scene and have been actively engaging in an aggressive initial attack,” fire crews said. An Incident Command Team was ordered to mobilize.

Overnight easterly winds accelerated fire activity leading to growth of the fire perimeter beyond the wilderness boundary. Firefighters on Friday were evaluating existing lines and planning contingency lines to secure the fire perimeter and protect private timberlands to the west. Friday’s fire behavior could include torching and spotting.

Red Fire reaches 877 acres near Diamond Peak, keeps PCT closed

The Red Fire located near Crescent Lake was more active and reached 877 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).

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: Air quality declines statewide, red flag warning extended amid new fires