Oregon wildfires: Smoke impacts Willamette Valley, Hart Mountain refuge closed by new fire

There were 29 large wildfires and complexes burning around Oregon Thursday morning.

So far, 1.2 million acres have burned — the second-most in modern records that date back to 1992. There were 9,592 firefighters in 235 crews in the field in Oregon.

Here's the latest news.

Hart Mountain refuge closed by new 17,000 acre Warner Peak Fire

The Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge, including all access roads and campgrounds, is closed until further notice due to the 17,000-acre Warner Peak Fire, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced Thursday.

The fire was started within the refuge on last Monday. The fire has 0% containment and is expected to grow.

It will limit access to popular hot springs and could delay the popular hunting season.

Firefighters will utilize roads to conduct firing operations for conrol of the fire's perimeter. No structures are threatened and no evacuations have been ordered.

All campgrounds, hot springs, trails, access, and roads into the refuge are closed. This includes, but is not limited to:

• Blue Sky Road and all adjoining roads, including Black Canyon Road, Martin Canyon Road, South Boundary Road, Shirk Road, Barnhardi Road, and Post Meadows Road.• Frenchglen Road• Hot Springs Campground• Post Meadows Campground• Camp Hart Mountain Campground

All hunting and fishing, including the Hart Mountain Unit for antelope and archery deer seasons, have been closed by Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife until further notice due to the fire.

For more information regarding the hunting and fishing closure, please call ODFW: 541-883-5732.

Wildfire smoke drifts into NW Oregon

The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality issued an air quality advisory for much of northwest Oregon and the northern Willamette Valley due to wildfire smoke drifting into the area.

The advisory included Portland, Salem and Eugene, although the smoke didn't appear to reach places such as Albany in between. Air quality had degraded to "moderate" by Thursday morning.

The advisory was set to stay in place until 8 p.m. Thursday.

Pacific Northwest wildfires likely to persist until fall rains

Oregon’s wildfires were expected to continue into the fall, based on the size and number, until Pacific Northwest gets major rain or snow in the fall, officials said Thursday.

With additional lightning expected this month, fire crews must pick and choose which fires to attack and how to manage others, a news release from the U.S. Forest Service said.

“Our planners are taking a realistic look at current wildfires, expected new fires, and the resources we have to help us safeguard human lives and property while enhancing our ability to respond to wildfires in high-risk areas,” said Jacque Buchanan, regional forester for the Pacific Northwest region of the Forest Service.

Firefighters working long-duration wildfires will focus on creating containment lines to help stop fires as they approach critical areas such as communities, powerlines, water supply systems and natural and cultural resources, the Forest Service said.

But, fires established in timber-dominated forests west of the Cascades are expected to continue to burn.

“These areas provide ample fuel that can sustain fires for extended periods and hold heat deep within the interior of a wildfire until conditions either escalate or moderate fire activity,” the news release said.

Williams Mine Fire grows rapidly to 4,500 acres in Washington

The Williams Mine Fire, which ignited in the Mount Adams Wilderness in Washington, grew rapidly to 4,500 acres by Thursday morning.

A large closure was issued for roads and trails in the area.

Community meeting for Willamette Complex fires in Springfield

A community meeting was scheduled to provide information on the fires burning in the Willamette National Forest from fire teams working the blaze. The fires include the Oakridge Lightning fires, and the Ore, Slate and Pyramid fires.

The meeting was scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday at Thurston High School in Springfield.

Kotek invokes Conflagration Act for Town Gulch Fire in Baker County

For the 12^th time this season, Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek invoked the Emergency Conflagration Act Tuesday in response to the Town Gulch Fire in Baker County. The 18,500-acre fire has brought level 3 evacuations north of Richland in eastern Oregon.

The Baker County Fire Defense Board requested assistance with life, safety, and structural fire protection and the state fire marshal concurred with that request.“Firefighters on the ground have been working incredibly hard in brutal conditions for weeks now, with many weeks to go,” Kotek said. “We all have to do our part as we get through a long wildfire season."

Willamette National Forest wildfires get new firefighting teams

Two new firefighting teams arrived to manage the wildfires burning in Willamette National Forest.

California Incident Management Team 13 assumed management of the Pyramid, Slate and Ore Fires, while Alaska CIMT 3 took over the Willamette Complex, which includes the fires near Oakridge.

Overall, the fires showed limited growth heading into Thursday and containment continued to grow on all of the blazes.

Fire crews were mostly conducting backburning to remove fuel around the fires on roads and other containment lines.

Pyramid Fire (1,331 acres, 31% contained): Fire behavior has been active and crews continued to focus on holding and securing the fire perimeter near the Middle Santiam Wilderness, between Highway 22 and 20 south of Detroit.

Slate Fire (91 acres, 99% contained): Crews are patrolling the fire line and repairing roads and the area used to fight this fire south of Detroit.

Ore Fire (2,254 acres, 29% contained): Fire crews continue to look to contain fire lines on this blaze north of Blue River Reservoir in the McKenzie Canyon.

Cottage Grove-Lane 1 Fire up to 17,830 acres

One of western Oregon's largest fires was located southeast of Cottage Grove. The Cottage Grove-Lane 1 Fire had blackened 17,830 acres as of Thursday morning and was at 9% contained.

There were 1,293 personnel assigned to the incident.

Fire crews were conducting burnout operations to create lines around the blaze.

"With help from favorable weather conditions over the last several days, firefighters have successfully conducted burnout operations, tying together the Lane 1 and Adam Mountain Fire. Firefighters continue to work on a variety of operational tasks, including prepping, chipping, firing, holding and mopping up," a Thursday morning report said.

Closures: Due to the wildfires, the Umpqua National Forest issued a closure that can be found here: https://www.fs.usda.gov/aler/umpqua/alerts-notices.

The Bureau of Land Management issued the following emergency closure for Lane County: https://www.blm.gov/announcement/bureau-land-management-expands-emergency-fire-closure-due-cottage-grove-lane-1-fire.

Wildfire in Crater Lake National Park at 3,165 acres, park still open

The Middle Fork Fire, located in the northwest corner of Crater Lake National Park, grew to 3,165 acres by Thursday morning and is 1% contained.

Fire growth to the northeast occurred yesterday as anticipated, officials said, although there were no big runs.

"The fire is burning in the old National Fire burn scar, getting into unburned pockets of vegetation as well as burning through big, heavy dead logs that hold heat and generate a lot of smoke," a morning report said. "The intent is to stop the Middle Fork’s northward spread and confine it within the park."

Trails closed: The Pacific Crest Trail from the Dutton Ridge Intersection to Highway 138, Lightning Springs, Bald Crater Loop, Bert Creek and Boundary Springs Trails (within the park) were closed.

Diamond Complex at 7,629 acres across 27 fires

The Middle Fork Fire is part of the Diamond Complex, which included 27 fires in southern Oregon's Umpqua National Forest near Diamond Lake and the North Umpqua Canyon. A map of the fires can be found here.

All totaled, the fires have burned 7,629 acres and have 702 people working the blazes.

Diamond Lake Resort and its campground remained open.

The largest of the complex was the Pine Bench Fire at 2,148 acres and 15% containment. The fire was burning near popular Toketee Falls, one of the state's most striking waterfalls.

"Road systems are being prepped on the east as a contingency line to protect infrastructure at Toketee Falls if needed," fire crews said.

Other notable blazes in the complex included:

• Potter Fire, north of Highway 138, two miles southeast of Potter Mountain, at 2,060 acres, 0% contained.

• Trep Fire, about four miles south of Highway 138, at 257 acres, 0% contained.

• Lemolo Fire, north of Lemolo Lake on Bunker Hill, at 1247 acres, 20% contained.

• Trail Fire, east of Highway 138 on the west slope of Mt. Thielsen, at 843 acres, 40% contained.

Homestead Complex up to 3,384 acres

The Homestead Complex, a series of seven fires northeast of Roseburg, grew to 3,384 acres by Thursday morning, up from 2,800 acres, with an overall containment of 14%. There were 455 personnel working on the fire.

The most notable fire on the complex was the No Man Fire at 1,269 acres. All containment lines held Wednesday despite some increased fire activity.

The Horse Heaven Fire at 953 acres was active in the Windy Creek drainage. Firefighters installed a half-mile of water hoses on the north flank while cutting down burned trees along the road system intended to serve as a control line.

On the 228-acre Fuller Lake Fire and the 340-acre Bullpup Fire, firefighters continued cutting burned trees along the 5851 Road and strengthened control lines.

Porcupine Fire grows to 4,500 acres in eastern Oregon

A fire ignited by lightning in eastern Oregon earlier this week grew to 4,500 acres by Thursday morning.

The Porcupine Fire was burning at Porcupine Reservoir, just east of Malheur National Wildlife Refuge.

Elk Lane Fire burns at 5,640 acres in central Oregon

The 5,640-acre Elk Lane Fire, burning approximately 3.5 miles west of Madras city limits, is 20% contained as Thursday morning.

Firefighters have held the lightning-started fire within the existing footprint since Tuesday but will face challenges with hot and dry weather conditions starting Thursday, according to the news release.

Areas south of Belmont Lane had evacuation levels reduced on Wednesday. Madras High School is being utilized as a temporary evacuation site. Up to date evacuation information can be found on the Jefferson County Sherriff’s Facebook Page.

All evacuation levels dropped for Mile Marker 132 Fire in Deschutes County

Forward progression of the 78-acre Mile Marker 132 Fire has been stopped and all evacuation levels have been dropped as of Wednesday evening, according to the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office

Crazy Creek Fire has burn 78,964 acres and is 28% contained

Low humidity levels increased fire activity on the eastern flank of the Crazy Creek Fire burning in central Oregon on Tuesday afternoon, causing spot fires across containment lines and challenging conditions for firefighters.

“Mandatory evacuation orders remain in effect for areas in Crook and Wheeler Counties for areas in or near the fire,” according to the news release, “Level 3 evacuations have extended from the Forest Boundary to Highway 380. Level 2 evacuations have extended south of Highway 380.”

Zach Urness has been an outdoors reporter in Oregon for 16 years and is host of the Explore Oregon Podcast. To support his work, subscribe to the Statesman Journal. He can be reached at zurness@StatesmanJournal.com or (503) 399-6801. Find him on Twitter at @ZachsORoutdoors.

This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Oregon wildfire updates: Popular Hart Mountain closed by new fire