BOB WILLIAMS/ FOR THE CHRONICLE
Rumors that people can return to the fire area along McKenzie Highway to check on homes or look for animals are incorrect, Lane County officials say. Areas under a Level 3 evacuation notice, including the roads within those areas, are closed to the public.
The closures are necessary to protect the safety of everyone. People who return to those areas are placing themselves at risk from fire, falling trees, downed powerlines, debris, landslides and the other safety issues caused by wildfire. Unauthorized people can also cause delays in firefighting activity if they are in the way of firefighting equipment or if fire personnel end up needed to assist those unauthorized people.
If people are part of an organized volunteer group for a community agency or organization, they should wait to be deployed through the appropriate channels for their own safety and to ensure they do not interfere with the fire response.
Information about the current evacuation levels, including a searchable database of affected addresses, can be found at www.lanecounty.org/mckenziefire.
