LANE COUNTY — One week into August, skies seem to be clear.
Cottage Grove has suffered the worst of the smoke in the last week, but it still came and went rather quickly. Unfortunately this week is likely not an accurate reflection on the rest of the summer.
Don’t let the lack of smoke in this Willamette Valley fool you though. The 11 fires in Lane County, all over 100 acres, are still burning on.
Oakridge is still sandwiched between two large fires burning on the north and south sides. The Chalk Fire is just over 4,000 acres now, but is the most contained fire in Lane county with 50% containment reported on the WatchDuty App Aug 6. The fire is approximately 20 miles north of Oakridge.
About 20 miles south of Oakridge is The Coffeepot Fire, burning at just over 5,600 acres and only 3% containment as of Aug 6.
The Lane 1 Fire is the closest to Cottage Grove, about 30 miles southeast, and is almost 2,500 acres and 9% containment on Aug 6. This fire is dangerously close to The Adam Mountain Fire which is at 12,645 acres and 9% containment according to the app on Aug 6. Bohemia Mining District and Fairview Peak are still considered to be in a Level 2 (Be Set) evacuation advisory.
The Ore Fire, at about 50 miles northeast of Springfield, is reported at 2,000 acres and 29% containment as of Aug 6. The Little Cowhorn Fire, 30 miles east of Springfield, is reported to be at 190 acres and 0% containment as of Aug 6. The Horse Heaven Creek Fire, about 50 miles southeast of Cottage Grove, is at 740 acres and no containment reported as of Aug 6.
The Moss Mountain Fire, about 30 miles southeast of Oakridge, is at 440 acres and 0% containment as of Aug 6. The No Man Fire about 50 miles southeast of Cottage Grove, is almost at 1,000 acres and no containment reported as on Aug 6. The Salmon 33 Fire, right next to the No Man Fire, is at 200 acres and no containment reported as of Aug 6. The 208 Fire, about 30 miles southeast of Oakridge on the far east side of Lane County, is at about 160 acres and 0% containment reported as of Aug 6.
One Aug 5, a Vegetation Fire near Goshen caused Lane County Sheriff’s Office to send out a Level 2 evacuation notice for areas between I-5 and Hideaway Hills Rd. and between Hampton Rd. and Ricketts Rd. The notice was moved down to a Level 1 (Be Ready) as of Aug 6.
But the original notice warned readers that public safety “cannot guarantee” would be able to send another notification if conditions worsen rapidly. This is why they encouraged residents to “closely monitor your phone, local media, and LaneCountyOR.gov.” This is also where you can see an updated evacuation map.
The Chronicle checks the WatchDuty app to stay updated on fire containment and acres. The app is run by retired firefighters, dispatchers, first responders, and journalists working together to monitor radio scanners to provide notices to keep users alert on any fire danger.
