Lake County wildfire grows to 8,500 acres

(Update: Fire estimated at 8,500 ares)

A wildfire west of Paisley in Lake County grew to about 8,500 acres Friday after an active day of fire growth.

The Watson Creek Fire was reported Wednesday afternoon about 15 miles west of Paisley on the Fremont-Winema National Forest’s Paisley Ranger District.

It’s burning in difficult terrain and heavy mixed vegetation of standing and down beetle-killed lodgepole pine, Forest Service spokeswoman Lisa Swinney said.

While no more thunderstorms were predicted in the ara Friday, gusty northwest winds could push the fire toward the east and southeast.

Firefighters’ progress was slow due to the amount of dead and down logs and standing snags. Thursday afternoon winds sent the fire spotting up to a half-mile away, while smoke limited visibility and the use of more aircraft for support.

About 100 firefighters were on the blaze, with air and ground resources.

Affected areas were under a Level 1 (Be Ready) evacuation notice from the Lake County Sheriff’s Department. Several Forest Service roads on the east side of the Fremont-Winema National Forest and about two-dozen campgrounds, trailheads and other recreation sites were closed due to firefighting efforts.

Information is being posted to https://scofmp.blogspot.com/ and the Fremont-Winema National Forest’s Facebook page.