Single Publication

Lookout Fire Morning Update

August 14th 2023 

Size: 1,202 acres

Start Date: August 5, 2023

Point of Origin: 3 miles North of McKenzie Bridge, OR

Quick Facts

Cause: Lightning

Total personnel: 350

Resources: 3 engines 

7 crews

3 bulldozers

3 water tenders

4 helicopters

Current Situation: Red Flag conditions caused the fire to increase in activity yesterday and burn actively into the evening. Winds shifted out of the East and were reported to have gusts up to at least 25 mph. This caused fire embers to travel distances of up to 1 mile, causing additional ignitions West of the fire. In the early evening, the fire crossed over the top of Lookout Ridge.

We received an influx of help yesterday in the form of Oregon State Fire Marshall structure fire engines from all across the state. These engines were able to scout the area and have been integrated into operations as structure protection.

Today’s activities: Type one helicopters will continue to support operations on the fire with water drops while crews and heavy equipment continue to construct primary and secondary firelines. Crews will continue utilizing roadways and previous burn units as a secondary option. Structure protection in and around the fire area is in place. Today’s weather is predicted to be warmer than yesterday. This may cause fire behavior to be more active and smoke to be more abundant. Fire managers will continue to monitor the fire throughout the day.

Evacuations: The Lane County Sheriff has upgraded evacuation levels to include some level 3 North of Highway 126. For the most current information and a map, please see Lane County’s website at: https://www.lanecountyor.gov/cms/one.aspx?pageId=19729054

Weather: A red flag warning will continue to bring high temperatures, low humidities and east winds through Monday night.

Closures: The Willamette National Forest has issued a closure order for areas surrounding the Lookout Fire. The order can be found at: https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/willamette/alerts-notices/?cid=fseprd552029

Restrictions: Fire Restrictions are in place on the Willamette National Forest https://www.fs.usda.gov/willamette Smoke: Smoke Forecast Outlooks are available at https://outlooks.wildlandfiresmoke.net/outlook Information Line: 541-215-6735 8am-8pm

Email: 2023.lookout@firenet.gov 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LookoutFire2023

Inciweb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident-information/orwif-lookout-fire