Two major Oregon fires expected to merge today
As of Tuesday, 35 active wildfires had burned more than 838,000 acres throughout the state and there have been 10 confirmed deaths.
Note: This story will no longer be updated. Check here for the latest information on Oregon's wildfires
Multiple wildfires are burning throughout the Portland metro and surrounding areas. Two huge fires, the Beachie Creek Fire in Marion County and the Riverside Fire in Clackamas County had burned more than 324,000 acres as of Tuesday morning, according to InciWeb.
Officials said the two fires remained about one mile apart as of Monday. A merger of the two fires is not imminent, officials said.
Last week, Oregon Gov. Kate Brown said more than 40,000 Oregonians had evacuated their communities and an estimated 500,000 people statewide were under some level of evacuation orders because of wildfires.
As of Tuesday morning, 35 active wildfires had burned more than 838,000 acres throughout the state, according to the OEM Fires and Hotspots Dashboard.
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There had been 10 confirmed deaths due to fires burning in the state, as of Tuesday morning: four from the Beachie Creek Fire; four from the Almeda Drive Fire in Southern Oregon; one from the Holiday Farm Fire in Lane County; and one from the White River Fire in Wasco County, according to OEM. Last week, Gov. Brown said "dozens" of people were missing in the fires, specifically in Jackson, Lane and Marion counties.
INTERACTIVE MAP: Fires burning in Oregon and Washington
Here's the latest information:
Clackamas County
County officials declared a state of emergency as the Riverside Fire continues to spread.
On Monday, the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office reduced more evacuation levels. An area south of the cities of Oregon City and Canby, encompassing some portions of the Mulino and Monitor areas, was dropped to Level 1. Some areas east of Oregon City encompassing portions of the Redland, Beavercreek and Highland areas, plus south of the city of Sandy, encompassing some portions of the Eagle Creek, Firwood, and Wildcat Mountain areas were reduced to Level 2.
On Sunday, the sheriff's office dropped the evacuation order for the town of Molalla to Level 2. The Level 1 evacuation order for Wilsonville, Lake Oswego, West Linn, Clackamas, Happy Valley, Gladstone, Tualatin, Milwaukie, and some areas near Boring and Damascus was also dropped.
Oregon City, Canby and Sandy were reduced to Level 1 evacuation orders on Saturday.
A Level 3 evacuation order remained in place for Estacada and other areas in and around the fire. On Monday, officials said there are still 16,776 structures at Level 3 evacuation levels and another 18,528 homes at Level 2 evacuation levels.
INTERACTIVE MAP: Evacuation orders in Clackamas County
The Riverside Fire, which had burned more than 134,000 acres and was 0% contained as of Tuesday, remained about half a mile from Estacada as of Tuesday morning, according to the U.S. Forest Service. On Sunday, firefighters created dozer lines around spot fires on the west side of the fire to secure the areas closes to the communities of Estacada and Molalla, according to InciWeb.
Improving weather patterns and newly arrived backup from state and federal agencies allowed firefighters in Clackamas County to pivot from defense mode to offense against the Riverside Fire over the weekend.
The Beachie Creek Fire in Marion County and Riverside Fire remained about one mile apart, officials said Monday morning. The Beachie Creek Fire had burned more than 190,000 acres as of Tuesday morning, according to InciWeb.
On Sunday, officials said a merger of the two fires is not imminent.
"The current combination of winds, record dry forests, and a lack of natural holding features in the Table Rock Wilderness and surrounding areas mean it is still possible the fires could burn together in the coming days. Based on current weather, it is anticipated that a future merger would not result in dynamic fire behavior as seen in the last week," officials said.
Late Thursday night, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced it had authorized the use of federal funds to help with firefighting costs for the Riverside Fire.
INTERACTIVE MAP: Evacuation orders in Clackamas County
Marion County
Two large fires, the Beachie Creek and Lionshead fires, had burned more than 373,000 acres as of Tuesday morning, according to the OEM Fires and Hotspots Dashboard. Four people have died in the Beachie Creek Fire.
On Monday, the Marion County Sheriff's Office said that one person remained missing, down from the initial report of 10 missing people.
Both fires prompted Level 3 (Go Now) evacuation orders for residents in the area. Evacuation shelters were established at the Oregon State Fairgrounds, the Polk County Fairgrounds and Volcanoes Stadium. Impacted residents were asked to call 503-391-7294 for more information.
On Sunday afternoon, Marion County officials reduced evacuation levels for the city of Scotts Mills to Level 2.
On Tuesday, The Oregonian reported that Breitenbush Hot Springs, one of Oregon's most beloved resorts, was still standing, though the surrounding forest and about half of the resort's buildings were burned to the ground in the Beachie Creek Fire.
INTERACTIVE MAP: Evacuation orders in Marion County
The Lionshead Fire, located between Detroit and Warm Springs, had burned more than 183,000 acres and the Beachie Creek Fire, located in the Santiam Canyon west of Detroit, had burned more than 190,000 acres as of Tuesday morning, according to OEM.
The Beachie Creek Fire in Marion County and Riverside Fire remained about one mile apart. The Riverside Fire has burned more than 134,000 acres as of Tuesday morning, according to InciWeb.
On Sunday, officials said a merger of the two fires was not imminent.
"The current combination of winds, record dry forests, and a lack of natural holding features in the Table Rock Wilderness and surrounding areas mean it is still possible the fires could burn together in the coming days. Based on current weather, it is anticipated that a future merger would not result in dynamic fire behavior as seen in the last week," officials said.
For information on Linn County evacuations, click here. You can also call 541-812-2260 for questions regarding current evacuation levels, resource availability, volunteer needs and other question pertaining to the fires.
Due to dangerous conditions in the Santiam Canyon, the Marion County Sheriff's Office said Sunday it was limiting access to the area to fire and law enforcement only. There was a phone line displaced residents can call to have a deputy check on their home in Detroit and Idanha only. People can call 503-798-6823 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. The sheriff's office said to leave a name, address, phone number, anyone missing from the location and any animals at the location.
Washington County
Two fires burning in the county, the Chehalem Mountain-Bald Peak Fire north of Newberg and the Powerline Fire near Hagg Lake, were mostly contained by Sunday.
On Sunday, Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue (TVF&R) reported that all Level 3 evacuations for the Chehalem Mountain-Bald Peak Fire were lifted. Forest Grove Fire & Rescue said Sunday the fire was "well secured." Fire managers said mop-up work would be completed Sunday. Firefighters were able to protect homes but three barns burned.
INTERACTIVE MAP: Evacuation orders for Chehalem Mountain-Bald Peak Fire
Crews were working toward full containment and no further fire growth was expected on the Powerline Fire, which burned about 120 acres. No structures were lost. All evacuation orders were lifted at 7 p.m. on Sunday. Hagg Lake and all recreational areas remained closed through at least Monday.
Lane County
The Holiday Farm Fire started Sept. 7 and burned homes in towns and communities along the McKenzie River, east of Eugene. According to InciWeb, the fire had burned more than 166,000 acres and was 6% contained as of Tuesday morning.
One person was found dead within the fire perimeter on Friday, according to the Lane County Sheriff's Office.
The Register-Guard reported that Lane County Administrator Steve Mokrohisky said Blue River suffered "catastrophic damage" and lives have likely been lost. On Wed. Sept. 9, Gov. Brown said the communities of Vida and Blue River were "substantially destroyed."
Lincoln County
The Echo Mountain Complex Fire had burned more than 2,400 acres and was 33% contained as of Tuesday morning, according to InciWeb. It destroyed 100 homes and prompted Level 3 (Go Now) evacuation notices for some residents in Lincoln City and Rose Lodge.
Evacuation levels for the Echo Mountain Fire were downgraded Monday morning to Level 2 in the following areas: east of Rose Lodge on Hwy 18; and south of Hwy 18 from Rose Lodge to East Devils Lake Road. The area in and around the fire remains at Level 3.
An evacuation site was set up for residents affected by fires in Lincoln County at the Newport Recreation Center located at 225 SE Avery Street.
On Monday, North Lincoln Fire and Rescue said the area was still not safe for the public to return. There were still trees falling down and the roads need to be clear for the official agencies working to clear the area. Officials hoped in another 4-5 days that they could start letting people in. People needing info on the status of their homes were asked to contact the county's call center at 541-265-0621 for a sheriff's deputy to go out and check on it.
On Sunday, the Oregon Air National Guard's 142nd Wing was deployed to support the Echo Mountain Fire, a spokesperson said.
Southern Oregon
The Almeda Fire started in the city of Ashland and then burned through Talent and Phoenix. At least four people died in the fire, according to OEM, and dozens remained unaccounted for by Tuesday. Police opened a criminal investigation into how the fire started.
The Slater/Devil fires that started in California were threatening the Illinois Valley. The fires had burned more than 136,000 acres and were 10% contained as of Tuesday.
The South Obenchain Fire, burning near Eagle Point, a town about 12 miles northwest of Medford, had burned more than 32,000 acres and was 20% contained as of Tuesday.
Douglas County
Douglas County was battling a number of wildfires, the largest being the Archie Creek Fire, which prompted evacuation orders for the entire county.
The Archie Creek Fire had burned more than 121,000 acres was 15% contained as of Monday morning, according to InciWeb. It has destroyed 109 homes, according to OEM.
A shelter was available for evacuated residents at the Douglas County Fairgrounds at 2110 Frear Street, Roseburg.
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The Big Hollow Fire was burning near Cougar, Washington. As of Tuesday morning, it had burned about 21,000 acres and was 10% contained, according to InciWeb.
The 42 cabins at Government Mineral Springs were placed under a Level 3 evacuation order, according to officials. Some other areas are under Level 1 (Be Ready) and Level 2 (Be Set) evacuation orders. See the evacuation map here.