Wildfire leads to 'go now' evacuation order near Blue River - The Register-Guard

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Evacuations remain in effect due to the Holiday Farm Fire, impacting the communities of Vida, Blue River, Mohawk, McKenzie Bridge, Leaburg, and Walterville. Here is a round up of evacuation notices as of 2:45 a.m. Wednesday:

Level 3 Go Now

• Walterville Elementary east to the McKenzie Ranger Station, including all roads to the north and south of the highway
• Upper Camp Creek Road and residents past Wendling Road on either side of Marcola Road
• Mohawk Valley north of Marcola Road and Hill Road

The updated evacuation point is Thurston High School for those in Blue River and west of Blue River. Those east of Blue River should travel east to the Deschutes County Fairgrounds in Redmond (3800 SE Airport Way).

The alert cautions: "Level 3 means leave immediately! Do NOT take time to gather things. Go now! DO NOT delay leaving your property to gather any belongings or make efforts to protect your home.  If you choose to ignore this notice, public safety personnel may not be available to assist you further."

Level 2 Be Set

There are three areas at Level 2 ("be set") notices:

• From McKenzie Ranger Station to the junction of Highway 126 and Highway 20 (Santiam Junction)
• Walterville Elementary west to Thurston Road, including Deerhorn road and all adjoining roads
• Either side of Marcola Road before Wendling Road, including Camp Creek Road

Level 2 means being prepared to leave at a moment's notice. It indicates there is significant danger to your area and residents should either voluntarily relocate to a shelter or with family/friends outside of the affected area.

Level 1 Be Ready

• Fall Creek, Winberry and Lowell areas north from Hills Creek to Signal Point Boat Ramp

Level 1 means be aware of the danger that exists in your area and prepare for possible evacuation.

Tips for evacuating during a wildfire

Oregon has 3 evacuations levels. Here are some tips on what the levels are and what to take with you if you have to evacuate.

More: High winds, fire danger leave Lane County residents without power

Holiday Farm Fire grows in size

As of Tuesday night, the Holiday Farm Fire has grown to 37,000 acres, according to a news release from the Oregon State Fire Marshall. The fire is currently burning on both sides of Highway 126 and the McKenzie River. It is moving west from approximately mile post 47 and is currently 2 miles past Vida.

More: As wildfires rage on, experts caution against opening windows as smoke poses serious health risk

Willamalane opens areas for evacuees and those without power 

Willamalane in Springfield is opening Bob Keefer Center, 250 S 32nd St., and Willamalane Adult Activity Center, 215 W. C St., as temporary rescue shelters for community members  who have been evacuated or lost power. These shelters are open effective immediately. 

These sites will have capacity limits, adhere to social distancing requirements, and include other regular sanitation protocols as required with current health guidelines.   

Willamalane cannot offer showers right now, but that status may change as the situation progresses. 

Willamalane will not be charging any fees for people to use their facilities for temporary shelter.

Bob Keefer Center parking lot is allowing RV parking. There are limited spaces available. 

'We should expect loss of life' in 'catastrophic' Blue River fire

A fast-moving wildfire, called the Holiday Farm Fire, caused "catastrophic damage" and probably loss of life in the town of Blue River east of Eugene-Springfield on Monday night and into Tuesday.

“Hundreds of people have been evacuated. The town of Blue River has sustained catastrophic damage," Lane County Administrator Steve Mokrohisky said at an emergency session of the Lane County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday morning. "According to one fire responder, it appears that at least 80 to 100 houses in Blue River were lost.

"We expect that other homes and businesses within the fire area have burned. And we should expect loss of life from this fire."

The unincorporated community of Blue River sits along Highway 126 on the McKenzie River, between the communities of Finn Rock and Rainbow, in the Willamette National Forest where the Blue River empties into the McKenzie River.

Mokrohisky told commissioners the area will continue to have high winds, low humidity and high temperatures for at least the next 24 hours.

Commissioners voted unanimously to declare an emergency, temporarily granting emergency authority and spending power to the Lane County Administrator. 

The county anticipates it will request Gov. Kate Brown to declare a disaster as all local resources are being "expended and are insufficient to respond to the situation," according to the board order. 

For updated information about the fire, including safety messages, evacuation notices and shelter information, go to lanecounty.org/news/mc_kenzie_fire.

— Tatiana Parafiniuk-Talesnick

Interstate 5 closed in southern Oregon because of wildfires

All lanes of I-5 are closed between Exit 14 (south Ashland) and Exit 35 (north Central Point) due to the Ashland area wildfire, ODOT announced Tuesday.

Expect delays and avoid the area. There is no estimated time for reopening. Drivers urged to exit interstate and seek local services in the Medford/Central Point area until fire conditions improve and the interstate reopens. 

For more information about the closure, go to tripcheck.com

Gov. Brown invokes Emergency Conflagration Act

Oregon Gov. Kate Brown approved an emergency conflagration declaration for the Beachie Creek, Lionshead and Holiday Farm fires burning east of Salem and Eugene.

Brown determined that a threat of the fires exceeds the firefighting capabilities of local firefighting personnel and equipment and authorizes the Oregon Office of State Fire Marshal to mobilize resources to assist local resources battling the fires.

Appeals for information on Blue River Facebook page

A Facebook group called Blue River Bulletin Board was filled with comments from concerned friends and relatives of people who live or work in the fire's burn zone.

Many of the messages pleaded for information on loved ones.

"If you’ve heard anything from or about my aunt and uncle please call!!!!" one message said. "They live at McKenzie Bridge. We know the neighbors evacuated around 1am but no one has been able to get ahold of them!"

Another posting asked for any information on the safety of a couple who live in the area. "Their kids haven’t heard from them," the message said.

A commenter offered that cell towers were likely burned in the fire, making communication difficult.

Several of the Facebook posts wondered about structures lost in the flames.

"What is gone? Please give me addresses if you know for sure its gone????" one post said.

— Rob Romig

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LTD helping with evacuation, bus service to McKenzie Bridget suspended 

Lane County has resources available for local residents evacuating the McKenzie area. In addition, Lane Transit District has suspended the Route 91 bus service to McKenzie Bridge until further notice

LTD has prepared 40-foot buses available to support emergency personnel in the evacuation of residents affected by the fires in the area to Thurston High School. The first LTD bus will be located in the Walterville School parking lot. Emergency personnel will manage all evacuation activities.

Residents in the area are asked to follow directions from emergency management officials concerning evacuation and safety measures during this time.

The view from Highway 126

The sky was thick with a red haze of smoke as ash and burned leaves floated down and littered the road in front of McKenzie Fire & Rescue on Highway 126 at milepost 20 Tuesday morning. 

Crews from McKenzie Fire came together in front of the station with other agencies including Oregon State Police, ODOT, and Lane Transit District. 

Even seasoned firefighters looked up at the cloud of smoke rising over the tree line with wide eyes. 

Longtime Vida resident Teiva White was one of those noting how unusual it was as he drove through the area just before 9 a.m.

He and his family had evacuated the area at about 2 a.m. to a family member’s home in Walterville, which is about 12 miles east of Springfield on Highway 126. He had gone back to save anything he could, and drove out with family photos and some fresh laundry in the passenger seat of his pickup. 

“We’ve never seen (wildfire) this far in the valley before,” White said. “It’s scary.” 

He’s worked with the forestry service as a wildland firefighter for 32 years and lived in Vida for about 25. 

White helped fight major fires like that in Terwilliger, but has never actually had to run from one. 

“My hope was to go up and help, but there’s no way,” he said. “I just had enough time to bring my family to Walterville and go back for some family photos.” 

— Jordyn Brown

Eugene area park areas closed

Howard Buford Recreation Area, also known as Mt. Pisgah, is closed to all visitors, including the arboretum and river trails, Lane County announced Tuesday morning.

The low humidity, dry conditions, high temperatures and wind pose a significant risk of wildfire in the park.

No visitors will be allowed entry to the park. Entrances will remain barricaded until the closure is lifted. The park will remain closed until conditions improve.

Due to the nearby McKenzie Fire and windy conditions, the City of Eugene Parks and Open Space Division has closed both the entire Ridgeline Park System as well as Skinner Butte Summit in downtown Eugene through Thursday morning. Hendricks Park is considered part of the Ridgeline Park System so it will be closed as well.

The Link Lonk


September 08, 2020 at 12:36PM
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Wildfire leads to 'go now' evacuation order near Blue River - The Register-Guard

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