More rain falls on Cedar Creek Fire; little growth seen as containment figure slowly rises

Warming, drying trend expected soon

OAKRIDGE, Ore. (KTVZ) -- The Cedar Creek Fire received more drizzly, cool weather on Tuesday, keeping growth at bay, for now, and allowing firefighters to bring the blaze to 14% containment, officials said Wednesday.

Here's the full update:

Cedar Creek Fire
September 21, 2022
Daily Update at 8:30 AM

Cedar Creek Fire Quick Facts
Size: 113,637 acres

Contained: 14% Start Date: August 1, 2022 Origin: 15 miles east of Oakridge, Oregon Cause: Lightning Total personnel: 2,356 Resources: 79 engines, 44 crews, 88 heavy equipment, 9 helicopters
 
West Zone Operations:  Conditions remained drizzly with scattered rain over the fire area on Tuesday. The weather prevented firing operations in the south and southwestern area of the fire. On the north side of the fire, key equipment arrived for specialized work to accomplish fireline preparations along Forest Service Road 19. Crews have been mopping up the western edge of the fireline by cutting dead and fire weakened trees and extinguishing hot spots. These efforts are ongoing. 

As conditions allow, firefighters are checking on various recreation and special sites within the burn area. Huckleberry Lookout and Taylor Burn Guard Station remain in place and are still wrapped with fire-resistant material. Some areas, such as the Joe Goddard Grove, are in the interior of the fire area and crews are not able to safely access them on the ground yet. Portions of Huckleberry Flats OHV Trail System were within the area burned to secure the containment line that is protecting the communities of Oakridge, Westfir and High Prairie. That area has a variety of burn effects.

The wet weather has slowed fire behavior this week; however, a warming and drying trend is expected by the weekend which could dry out vegetation. Safety of firefighters is a priority and the wreck Tuesday evening on Highway 58, while not related to the firefighting effort, serves as a good reminder to remain vigilant because there is increased traffic associated with the fire.  
 
East Zone Operations: The Alaska Team is transferring command of the East Zone to Northwest Team 7, at 0700 Thursday.

“The team really appreciates the support of the community, and the partnership with Deschutes National Forest on this incident. We worked with Northwest Team 7 when they came up to help us in Alaska this summer, and we’re looking forward to a good transition,” said Alaska Team Incident Commander Norm McDonald.

This transition takes place over several days, so incoming resources have adequate time to shadow outgoing personnel, gather information, and ask questions. The teams move through a methodical process to share details on current operations, hazards, and opportunities for success.

Crews have finished putting in direct line around the fire that crossed over Forest Service Road 4290 and almost 2 ½ miles of road preparation was completed by the end of shift on Tuesday. Road preparation is complete along the Waldo Lake Road, Forest Service Road 5897, with a shaded fuel break 75 feet wide and 8 miles long.

Crews have completed over 2 ½ miles of road preparation around Cultus and Little Cultus Lake and will continue their work in and around the lakes. The treatment prescription for the fuel breaks is developed in partnership with the Forest. The total indirect line identified is 60 miles with 18 miles completed, 21 miles in progress, and 35 miles proposed.

Weather: Light rain moved across the fire area, but little accumulation was noted. Continued rain and a chance of isolated thunderstorms is forecast. The forecast calls for of ¼ to ½ inch rain over the East Zone through Thursday, continuing to moderate fire behavior. Showers and thunderstorms will become more widespread over the fire area into Wednesday, with wetting rains expected for much of the area.

Evacuations: An updated map of the evacuation areas is available at www.LaneCountyOR.gov/CedarCreek. Sign-up for emergency mobile alerts by going to oralert.gov. Please check with Lane County Sheriff’s Office at 541-682-4150 and Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office at 541-693-6911 for updates and changes. Lane County residents can use the Lane County Sheriff’s Office Flash Alert site for information to support insurance claims for reimbursement for lodging https://flashalert.net/id/LaneSheriff.

Closures: Elijah Bristow State Park and Dexter Boat Launch are closed to the public since they are being used by firefighters. The Deschutes National Forest and Willamette National Forest both have closures in effect to protect the public and firefighters. Please visit Willamette National Forest and Deschutes National Forest for the most recent closure orders and maps. A Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) is in place. The use of drones is prohibited in the fire area, please make it safe for our firefighters to use aircraft on the fire. Pacific Crest Trail hikers should visit pcta.org for current information. See a map of the fire area with both forest closures here: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/map/8307/0/137083
Restrictions: Fire restrictions are in place on the Willamette National Forest and Deschutes National Forest.  
Smoke: For current conditions, see Fire.airnow.gov, oakridgeair.org, and LRAPA - Today's Current Air Quality. Smoke Forecast Outlooks are available at https://outlooks.wildlandfiresmoke.net/outlook. Online: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/8307/ | https://www.facebook.com/CedarCreekFire2022/ |
YouTube: https://www.tinyurl.com/cedarcreekfireyoutube Fire Information Line: 541-201-2335, 8:00 AM – 8:00 PM | For Media Inquiries: 541-327-9925
Email: 2022.cedarcreek@firenet.gov