A Level 3 evacuation order, meaning “go now,” has been issued for the Oakridge, Westfir and High Prairie areas, both within city limits and surrounding unincorporated areas, due to extreme growth from the Cedar Creek Fire. A map of the evacuation areas is available here. Residents are advised to travel westbound as Highway 58 is closed to the east. Residents are encouraged to evacuate to the temporary evacuation site at Lane Community College (4000 E. 30th Avenue, Eugene). The Temporary Evacuation Point is located in Building 16. Lane Transit District provides buses to help people without transportation evacuate. Buses will run on:

Oakridge High School (47997 W 1st St.) First Baptist Church (47606 School St.)

In a statement, the Lane County Sheriff’s Office said, “There is an immediate and imminent danger and you should evacuate immediately. DO NOT delay leaving your property to collect items or make efforts to protect your home. Drive carefully , turn on your headlights, and follow any instructions from public safety personnel.”
———— ORIGINAL STORY Somehow the dice have already been cast on the Cedar Creek Fire, and at this point, all firefighters can do is see where it lands. Easterly winds reached a 33,100-acre fire overnight, but it grew quickly Friday, prompting new evacuation levels outside Oakridge and closing Oregon Highway 58 above the Willamette Pass. The fire will grow throughout the day Friday, overnight and Saturday, but how far it will spread remains the key question. The fire remains about 11 to 12 miles from Oakridge as of late Friday afternoon. The greater Oakridge-Westfir area is under a Level 2 evacuation order, which means “to be ready to go at any time.” Highway 58 is closed from Oakridge (milepost 37) to Crescent Lake (milepost 70). Air quality in Oakridge dropped to “hazardous levels,” while smoke spreading west brought air quality down to Eugene and through the Willamette Valley. Gov. Kate Brown invoked the Fire Emergency Act Friday afternoon, which allows the Office of State Fire Marshal to mobilize resources to support local fire services and protect lives, homes and vital infrastructure, a news release said. “The potential for fire growth in the coming days is concerning, requiring additional resources to fight the fire and support the state’s response,” Brown said. “With the forecasted weather this week, it’s important for all Oregonians to be prepared.” The fire is spewing a huge amount of smoke, with winds expected to peak overnight before easing late Saturday afternoon and evening. Cooler weather should finally slow the fire Sunday and especially Monday into early next week. Live Oregon wildfire updates: Power outage updates, fire activity “The easterly winds are pushing the fire to the west and we’re definitely going to have very, very difficult fire conditions by the end of the day Saturday,” Cedar Creek Fire spokesman Bud Sexton said. “Repression actions may be limited,” a report said on Friday morning. By late Friday afternoon, the fire had grown north and west, moving about 2 miles closer to Oakridge. It also crossed Black Creek Road — one of the main containment lines — on the southern edge of the fire toward Highway 58, likely due to the closure of the highway, which is the main transportation corridor between Eugene and Central Oregon. Sexton said Thursday that crews did not believe the topography was lined up for extreme river flows toward residential areas, but he toned down that language Friday. “There’s no crystal ball, and with the extreme dryness, it could go into drains that are lined,” he said. There are several emergency lines between the fire and Oakridge – where firefighters tried to remove fuel and stop the fire in its tracks. But with extreme winds, the concern is that the fire sends embers flying over the lines, Sexton said.
“With moisture levels this low (dry), the fuel behaves differently than it normally does,” he said. “The fire can throw up embers and spot well ahead of the body of the fire, and that makes it a challenge.” He said much of the business Friday was hoping for the best but preparing for the worst and making sure there was frequent communication so the Lane County Sheriff’s Office could make calls to evacuate Oakridge if needed. More: Oregon to see extreme fire danger similar to 2020 Labor Day blast Other notes from Friday are that the fire has moved around Waldo Lake and the perimeter of the fire has surrounded North Waldo Campground and is very close to Islet Campground on the east side of Waldo Lake. Sexton said crews were busy wrapping structures at the campsite and as of Friday morning they were intact. On the east side, the blaze is moving closer and closer to the Cascade Lakes Scenic Highway, Crane Prairie Reservoir and Little Cultus Lake. These areas are at evacuation level 3 and are closed. There is a very large closure area around the fire at this point which severely limits recreation. Fire trucks in Oakridge Fire engines are seen in Oakridge on Friday, September 9, 2022. Ben Lonergan, Registry-Keeper

Firefighting plans

At 2421 Forest Service Road firefighters will be watching for any fires and will contain the fire on the road. Crews will engage the fires north of Winchester Trail trying to put them out if it is safe to do so. Firefighters are also coordinating with the Middle Fork Ranger District representative and the Lane County Oregon State Fire Marshal to provide initial attack support to any new fire starts that could occur.

Closure

There are extensive closures on both sides of Waldo Lake for miles in each direction. On the east side of the lake, in the Deschutes National Forest, towards the Cascade Lakes Highway, a closure map can be found here. On the west side of the fire, toward Oakridge, in the Willamette National Forest, a closure map can be found here. Widespread power outages: EWEB, Lane Electric to outage thousands in Lane Co. in the face of strong winds This story will be updated as more information becomes available. Zach Urness has been an outdoor reporter in Oregon for 15 years and is the host of the Explore Oregon podcast. He can be reached at [email protected] or (503) 399-6801. Find him on Twitter at @ZachsORoutdoors.