Incident Media Photographs

The Bedrock and Lookout fires continue to impact air quality across the forecast area. Expect hazy skies and smoke. Significant impacts are expected in the McKenzie River drainage, the afternoon may see HAZARDOUS air quality. Oakridge will experience fluctuations from MODERATE to UNHEALTHY. From La Pine, north to Sunriver and Bend expect smoke to return Thursday night. In Eugene/Springfield smoke continues to drift up from NW California and will likely keep air quality in the USG range Thursday.

The Bedrock and Lookout fires continue to impact air quality while Westerly winds improve surface smoke. Expect slightly hazy skies until the afternoon. Smoke from NW California may begin to move East of the Bedrock fire, and changes in weather Thursday could push smoke back to the region at the surface. Air quality is predicted to be GOOD in Eugene/Springfield. Mckenzie and Oakridge will have fluctuations in air quality throughout the day from GOOD to USG. From La Pine, north to Sunriver and Bend, slight improvements will continue, expect mostly MODERATE air quality.

"Heavy" helicopters, also referred to as Type 1 helicopters, can deliver large payloads of water or fire retardant.

Members of a hand crew come off the fire line at the end of shift on August 24, 2023.

Bedrock Fire: Residents may have observed a large smoke plume in the northwest corner of the fire yesterday. Increased solar radiation and winds from the west contributed to increased fire activity in the areas firefighters were performing burn out operations. Primary containment lines stayed secure, and the fire remained within the perimeter. Crews were prepared to respond if these lines were threatened. Lack of smoke and increased visibility allowed for air operations; helicopters were able to assist firefighters on the ground throughout the day. Incident Commander Jason Loomis said, “Many good decisions are being made at all levels of the organization, resulting in meeting our objectives to limit fire spread.” 

Today, warmer, drier weather gradually returns to fire area. As weather conditions remain favorable, firing operations will continue to remove unburned fuels between primary containment lines and the edge of the fire. A smoke plume will likely be visible today with similar weather conditions as yesterday. On contained portions of the fire, crews are increasing the depth of the fire line, and patrolling where lines are confidently secure.  

The helicopter base is moving from Oakridge to Creswell because Creswell was determined to have better visibility for our pilots. Air resources are continuing to support all on-ground firefighting activities when visibility allows.  

Evacuations: A Level 2 evacuation remains in place on the Bedrock fire. A searchable evacuation map with fire perimeters is on the Lane County website. There is an evacuation center for people and small pets at Lowell High School for evacuees from the Bedrock and Lookout Fires. There is a large animal shelter at the Lane County Fairgrounds in Eugene. 

Smoke: The daily West-Central Oregon Smoke Outlook provides a detailed air quality forecast for the Bedrock Fire, as well as other nearby fires. Fire and Smoke Map (fire.airnow.gov/) is another source for air quality information.   

Weather: Today’s weather will be comparable to yesterday with a slight increase in temperature, and lower relative humidity levels. Winds will be light out of the northwest. These warm and dry conditions will likely continue into Friday.  

Safety and Closures: The Willamette National Forest implemented an Emergency Area Closure to ensure the safety of the public and personnel working on the fire. The closure maps for the Bedrock Fire are available on InciWeb. For information about road closures, please visit TripCheck.com. There is a Temporary Flight Restriction over the Bedrock Fire area.  

A "bambi" bucket being lifted by a helicopter on the Bedrock Fire on August 24, 2023.

Dry moss burns on a maple tree along Little Fall Creek, Willamette National Forest.

A member of the Los Padres Hotshots "watches the green" during a burn out on the Bedrock Fire on August 22, 2023. Watching the green means keeping an eye out for embers that float over the line and can cause "spot" fires to start.

Yasser Olivera, a firefighter on the Los Padres Interagency Hotshot Crew on the Bedrock Fire, Tuesday, August 22.

The Bedrock and Lookout fires continue to impact air quality and favorable weather provides clearing across the forecast area. Smoke from NW California may begin to move into the area tomorrow. Smoke that settled in around the Bedrock fire yesterday improved overnight into this morning. Air quality is predicted to be GOOD in Eugene/Springfield. Mckenzie and Oakridge will have fluctuations in air quality throughout the day from GOOD to UNHEALTHY. From La Pine, north to Sunriver and Bend, slight improvements will continue, expect mostly USG air quality. Fire activity locally and from NW California is expected to keep smoke in the area, with onshore flow and westerly winds providing some clearing.

"Mop up" is the term firefighters use to describe the final part of securing a fire line. Hot spots that could flare up and threaten a control line have to be extinguished. It usually involves digging in soot and ash and then extinguishing any exposed embers with water.