Single Publication

Lookout Fire                                                                       

August 22, 2023

Morning Update

Size: 12,188 acres                           

Start Date: August 5, 2023

Cause: Lightning

Containment: 5%

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

Total personnel:   1,130

Resources: 73 engines l 21 crews l 13 bulldozers l 28 water tenders l 11 masticators l 7 helicopters

OSFM Resources: 5 task forces assigned to structure protection divisions
 

A community meeting will be held tomorrow, Wednesday, from 5:30-6:30 pm at McKenzie River High School. The meeting will be broadcast on the Lookout Fire Facebook page at 8 pm. 

Current Situation:  Cooler temperatures and higher humidity limited fire behavior at the Lookout Fire on Monday. Dense smoke stayed in place over the area until late in the day, grounding helicopter operations. Firefighters mopped-up ash-pits and hot spots along the 700 road on the fire’s southwest flank, and containment is expected to increase in this area in the coming days. North of the 700 Road, bulldozer lines are in place to help utilize Road 2633 as a holding feature on the fire’s west flank. Cooler weather limited the effectiveness of tactical firing operations planned on the western side of the fire yesterday.  Firefighters are prepared to conduct those strategic burning operations as conditions allow.   

On the northeast and southeast flanks, the fire is backing toward Deer Creek Road, where crews and heavy equipment are preparing the road to be used as a control line. Crews are installing pumps and hose along the McKenzie River to check the fire’s spread and protect values at risk such as homes and utility infrastructure. 

Winds from the west may increase Tuesday afternoon as the smoke inversion layer begins to lift. A warmer weather trend is expected to return to the fire area on Wednesday.  

Oregon State Fire Marshal (OSFM) task forces are meeting with incoming U.S. Forest Service (USFS) structure protection crews to discuss completed preparation work, locations of installed protection systems, water sources, and status of critical infrastructure. This information exchange is an important step in the demobilization of OSFM task forces, allowing them to return to their communities while ensuring adequate resources remain on site. As OSFM begins to reduce resources committed to the fire, NW Team 6 will have structure protection crews in place and coordinate with local resources to ensure community safety. There are currently five OSFM task forces on the fire, which will begin demobilizing this morning with the remainder leaving on Wednesday. 

A new incident base of operations is now in place in Walterville, in addition to the one at the McKenzie Bridge airstrip. Motorists are advised to use caution with increased fire vehicle traffic in the Camp Creek Road area and throughout the Highway 126 corridor. 

Evacuation Centers: An evacuation center is in place at Lowell High School for evacuees and small pets from the Bedrock and Lookout Fires. A large animal shelter is set up at the Lane County Fairgrounds in Eugene. 

Evacuations: In Lane County, there is a Level 3 (Go Now) evacuation notice for Taylor Rd., North Bank Rd., all areas north of Highway 126 between Mill Rd. and Drury Ln., Mona Campground, Lookout Campground, H.J. Andrews Headquarters and the area west of Highway 126 from Scott Rd. north into Linn County.

There is a Level 2 (Be Set) for areas north of Hwy. 126 west of the .5 mile mark on Mill Creek Rd. to Blue River Reservoir Rd. at the 1501 junction, The area south of Hwy 126 to the McKenzie River from the east end of McKenzie River Dr. to the McKenzie River Bridge just east of Taylor Rd, Highway 126 from the Highway 242 junction to Scott Rd., Paradise Campground, FS Rd. 302, Belknap Springs Rd. S., Belknap Hot Springs Rd., the area east of Highway 126 from Scott Rd. north into Linn County.

There is a Level 1 (Be Ready) evacuation notice for Areas south of Hwy. 126 from Blue River Reservoir Rd. east to the east end of McKenzie River Dr., McKenzie River Dr. and areas directly to the south and east, The area south of Hwy 126 from the McKenzie River Bridge just east of Taylor Rd. to Scott Creek Rd., Belknap Springs Rd. S, Hwy 242 to FS Rd. 220, Yale Ln., Camp Yale Rd., FS Rd. 2643 southeast to the 445 spur.

For Lane County evacuation updates visit: https://www.lanecountyor.gov/cms/one.aspx?pageId=19729054    

In Linn County, there is a Level 3 (Go Now) for Olallie Campground, Trail Bridge Reservoir & Campground, and the trail systems and roadways north of the Linn County line, and west of Highway 126, extending north to intersection of National Forest Service Road 730 and Highway 126.  

 A Level 2 (Be Ready) for the area from the east side of Olallie Campground east to the Willamette National Forest Boundary, north along boundary to Ice Cap Campground and Trailhead, then west to encompass Lakes End Campground and trail system, and south in line with the intersection of National Forest Service Road 730 and Highway 126 (entrance to the Carmen-Smith Hydroelectric facility). Tamolitch Falls/Blue Pool and Smith Reservoir are within this Level 2 (be set) Evacuation Zone.                                                                                         

Level 1 (Be Ready) evacuation zone for areas north of Ice Cap Campground, extending east to the Willamette National Forest boundary, and north in line with Highway 20. This includes all areas around Clear Lake, and Clear Lake Campground. For current information please see Linn County’s website at: https://www.linnsheriff.org/2023/08/lookout-fire-update-august-17-2023-330-p-m/  

Closures: Highway 242, McKenzie Highway, is closed between milepost 61-76, 14 miles west of Sisters, Oregon to just east of the junction with Highway 126. Highway 126 is currently open. Please monitor Trip Check for any updates at: https://tripcheck.com/   

Willamette National Forest closures can be found at: https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/willamette/alerts-notices/?cid=fseprd552029Restrictions: Fire Restrictions are in place on the Willamette National Forest: https://www.fs.usda.gov/willamette 

Smoke Outlook: Available at:  https://outlooks.wildlandfiresmoke.net/outlook/4c92bc1a? 

Information Line: 541-215-6735 8am-8pm |  Email: 2023.lookout@firenet.gov                                              

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