Southwest Oregon wildfire grows to nearly 17 square miles

Between since Friday the fire grew 2,000 acres to the south and east.

ODF reports that over 800 firefighters will split responsibilities based on their expertise. The Oregon State Fire Marshal Green Team and ODF Team I are operating under a “unified command” to coordinate the structural and wildland firefighting efforts.

Evacuations Levels 1 to 2 have been issued which affect 188 homes. An additional level 2 evacuation notice was issued to the Drew area east of the fire.

Residents choosing to leave could go to a Red Cross crisis shelter at Canyonville Elementary School.

Gov. Kate Brown has invoked the Emergency Conflagration Act so resources from around the state can be used to protect homes. Task force teams from Clackamas, Lane, Linn/Benton, Lincoln, Marion and Yamhill counties were mobilized and helping the fire team.

The fire is in Milo, which is an unincorporated community near Canyonville.

High temperatures and extremely dry conditions have helped the fire grow rapidly. Wildland firefighters continue building control lines between the fire and the community, but the terrain is steep and the heavy fuel load is proving hard, so contingency plans to protect the community are being developed.

Oregon Department of Forestry is working with residents from the Peel Story to the Wolf Creek Trail Head to make preparations to evacuate if the fire should move toward those areas. A Red Flag Warning was in place and, as predicted, resulted in another very active day of fire behavior.

“The evacuations around Milo have been reduced from a Level 3 to a Level 2”.

The fire had grown to 10,689 acres and was 3 percent contained as of Saturday night. Public use restrictions, such as campfires, mowing of dry grass and off-road driving have also been tightened.

Reed said the cause of the fire remained under investigation.