Evacuation orders issued along Oregon Highway 22 as wildfires spread quickly Monday night - OPB News

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A series of fast-moving wildfires spurred Level 3 “Go Now” and Level 2 “Get Set” evacuations for communities along a 40-mile stretch of highway in the central Cascades late Monday night and into Tuesday.

Towns along Highway 22, from Lyons-Mehama through Idanha, were told to evacuate immediately early Tuesday morning. The cities of Stayton and Sublimity were put under a Level 2 “Get Set” evacuation order shortly before 5 a.m. Fire has been reported as far west as Mehama, dozens of miles from the Beachie Creek Fire, and evacuees report seeing flames along both sides of Highway 22.

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Another fire on Highway 126 near McKenzie Bridge has closed the highway and brought Level 3 “Go Now” evacuations from Leaburg to the McKenzie River Ranger Station near Belknap Springs, a stretch of almost 40 miles. At 6 a.m., the Lane County Sheriff’s Office issued Level 1 “Be Ready” evacuations that extend west to the intersection of Highway 126 and Thurston Road, just a few miles east of Springfield.

At 6:45 a.m., footage showed a fire burning in the fields near Molalla in Marion County. It is unclear if the fire was started by sparks from the Beachie Creek Fire.

Residents of Stayton responded to a post on the city’s Facebook page, saying that they didn’t receive mobile emergency alerts notifying them of the Level 2 evacuation notices. Others farther east on Highway 22 under Level 3 evacuation orders said it took several hours for mobile alerts to arrive. Many heard of the evacuations in other ways and had already left their homes.

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Fire intensity of the Beachie Creek and Lionshead fires as well as the fire in the Blue River area. The more yellow the pixels the more intense the fire. The loop is from 1130 PM to 230 AM. #ORwx pic.twitter.com/i8oicPkzc9

— NWS Portland (@NWSPortland) September 8, 2020

The Beachie Creek Fire, burning near Detroit, and the Lionshead Fire, near Breitenbush, had been remained relatively small since lightning strikes started them Aug. 16. But high winds and dry weather across the state reinvigorated the fires, sparking new blazes as the winds carried embers miles down the canyon. Residents of Detroit, Breitenbush, Idanha and nearby communities were initially told to expect to evacuate by late Tuesday morning, but the situation deteriorated quickly overnight.

Dry, east winds pushed fires along Highway 22 and Highway 126 down the canyons, sparking Level 3 evacuation notices that stretch for dozens of miles. Downed trees from the flames blocked traffic heading east on Highway 22, forcing fleeing residents to turn around and head for Salem.

Red Cross evacuation centers have been set up at the Deschutes County Fairgrounds in Redmond to the east and Oregon State Fairgrounds in Salem to the west.

In other parts of Oregon, almost 100,000 residents lost power late Monday night as winds brought down trees and transformers exploded. Portland General Electric preemptively shut off power for 5,000 residents west of Mount Hood to prevent downed power lines from sparking forest fires.

A 300-acre wildfire near Mapleton in the Siuslaw National Forest also expanded overnight. The fire was 80% contained as of Sunday, but by Tuesday morning residents of nearby Swisshome were told to evacuate immediately.

This is a developing story and may be updated.

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Evacuation orders issued along Oregon Highway 22 as wildfires spread quickly Monday night - OPB News
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