*UPDATE AUG. 9, 9:30 a.m., OR Dept. of Forestry*
Level-two evacuations were ordered by the Linn County Sheriff’s Office late Tuesday evening for communities near the Wiley fire. Fire activity continued to make significant runs yesterday and throughout the evening, and the fire grew to approximately 100 acres as of Wednesday morning.
Firefighters will work today by continuing to open roads and pathways to the fire. Continued aviation support was ordered to assist firefighters in slowing the progression. Dry conditions and steep terrain will continue to be a challenge for firefighters. Incident Commander Chad Calderwood anticipates the fire perimeter to grow as firefighters work to get a foothold in a safer area.
“Firefighter safety continues to be our top priority,” Calderwood said. “With steep terrain, snags, and high fire activity we are strategically attacking this fire while making sure our firefighters are not put in a dangerous situation.”
Firefighters will continue to work on containing the north and south side of the fire today, and veer it away from private lands and communities. More aviation and firefighting resources have been ordered to support the Wiley fire.
The closure order for Green Peter Reservoir remains in effect. Fire crews ask residents to respect all closures so they can focus on the containment of this fire and continue to check emergency notifications from the Linn County Sheriff’s Office.
Sweet Home – Wiley fire update on Aug. 8 at 11:20 a.m., Linn Co. Sheriff’s Office
Green Peter Reservoir Shut Down Until Further Notice
United States Forest Service scooper planes have been assigned to the Wiley fire to assist ground crews with battling the fire. Air assets are critical to fighting the Wiley fire due to steep terrain where the fire is burning. The fire is approximately one mile south from the end of Harris Road off Whiskey Butte Drive, east of Sweet Home, and is approximately 10 acres in size.
Effectively immediately, the water on Green Peter Reservoir is shut down to all public use. The scooper planes will begin scooping water out of Green Peter Reservoir shortly. Sheriff’s deputies will be ordering boats off the reservoir and closing down the boat ramps.
The public can learn more about the Forest Service scooper planes by visiting: https://www.fs.usda.gov/detailfull/r4/fire-aviation/?cid=fseprd516410&width=full
The LEVEL 1: BE READY Evacuation Notice maintained. There are no indications that an increase in the fire evacuation level is warranted at this time. View the map, below, and visit the Linn County wildfire map for more details regarding evacuation zones at https://tinyurl.com/LinnCoFireMap
Residents in Linn and Benton counties can sign up for Linn-Benton ALERT to be registered in the emergency notification system through EverBridge. Visit: https://www.linnsheriff.org/community-resources/emergency-preparedness/ to sign up.
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Fire Alert East of Sweet Home: Updated Aug. 7 at 9:49 p.m., Linn Co. Sheriff’s Office
Signs of smoke in the air east of Sweet Home caused area residents to call Linn County 9-1-1 at approximately 6 p.m. this evening. Upon investigating, crews from the Sweet Home Fire District, Oregon Department of Forestry – South Cascade and Cascade Timber Consulting, Inc. located a small two-acre fire smoldering in an area approximately one mile south from the end of Harris Road off Whiskey Butte Drive.
Due to steep terrain and remote location of the fire, and as a precaution to area residents, a LEVEL 1: BE READY Evacuation Notice was activated beginning at the intersection of Highway 20 at Whiskey Butte Drive, traversing along Whiskey Butte Drive to Cedar Creek Road, and extending south to Wiley Creek Road. Then, from the intersection of Cedar Creek Road and Wiley Creek Road, east along the south boundary of the Willamette National Forest area to Swamp Mountain Road, and along Swamp Mountain Road north to Highway 20. View the map, above, and visit the Linn County Wildfire Map https://tinyurl.com/LinnCoFireMap for more details.
The public is asked to avoid the area so emergency crews are able to respond more quickly.
An Emergency Operations Center was also activated to closely monitor the fires and be prepared to alert residents nearby should the situation change and further evacuation notifications become necessary.
Residents in Linn and Benton counties can sign up for Linn-Benton ALERT to be registered in the emergency notification system through EverBridge. Visit: https://www.linnsheriff.org/commu…/emergency-preparedness/ to sign up.
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Fire crews were dispatched to a blaze east of Sweet Home in the Buck Mountain area at approximately 6 p.m. Two helicopters have been battling the fire from the air while ground crews from SHFAD and ODF are working to gain access. This is all the information available at this time; further updates will be provided as information becomes available.