LAKEVIEW, Ore. — Fire crews from the Portland area and around the state have deployed to Southern Oregon to help with the Cougar Peak Fire, which just started this week and in a matter of days has grown to burn an area around the size of the city of Atlanta, Georgia.
The fire is burning 15 miles northwest of Lakeview in Lake County and has burned around 83,339 acres as of Sept. 10, according to InciWeb.
The fire was discovered on Sept. 7 and at the time was estimated to be 60 acres and threatening Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) protected lands. A campground about a mile and a half from the fire, the Cottonwood Campground, was evacuated that day and recreation sites in the area closed.
A day later, on Sept. 8, the fire had grown to 3,200 acres. By the morning of Sept. 9, it was estimated at 25,000 acres and later that evening, the fire had grown to 37,000 acres, according to fire officials. Extremely dry conditions and strong winds have been fueling the flames.
On Sept. 8, Governor Brown invoked the Conflagration Act which makes more resources available from around the state. Right now, about 361 firefighters are working to contain the flames. Crews have arrived from Clatsop, Lane, Linn, Yamhill, Clackamas and Marion Counties. Firefighters with Portland Fire and Rescue also deployed firefighters and resources Thursday evening.
Some people have had to leave their homes as there are level 3 "GO NOW" and level 1 "BE READY" evacuation levels for the area. With conditions and fire behavior changing quickly, law enforcement is going door-to-door in the area in the area to let people know and sending alert messages through OR-Alert.
The cause of the fire hasn't been determined yet.
