Good Progress on McKenzie River RD Fires

All day long the calls kept coming into the fire office; new smoke reports and fire size ups from people in the field. As of 6pm there are approximately 40 new fires on the Middle Fork and 6 on the McKenzie River Ranger District. The majority of the fires on both districts are small; with just a few of them between 1 and 5 acres. The largest new fire is on the eastern slopes of Mt Hagan near Blue River. That fire is between 6 and 10 acres; retardant drops occurred throughout the afternoon and water-carrying helicopters are en route to reinforce the work crews are doing on the ground. The fire is visible from Highway 126, Blue River reservoir and the community of Blue River.

“It has been a very busy day, and we have had great help from our cooperating agencies, including Oregon Department of Forestry” commented Forest Supervisor Meg Mitchell “Our staff are prioritizing the fires that are nearest to towns and private land.  We will be back at this tomorrow. While we have had to close two trails near Oakridge (Larison Rock and Deception Creek), our recreation sites are still open, ”she added. More crews and helicopters are coming to assist with efforts on both Ranger Districts.

If you see a fire on National Forest lands, please call either 911 or 541.225.6400 to report it. Follow us on twitter @willametteNF for updates throughout the day. For additional information, contact your nearest Ranger District Office.