Officials with the Willamette National Forest say there’s a new blaze burning about 18 miles east of Oakridge.
As of Wednesday afternoon, the Cedar Creek Fire was about 500 acres in size and burning in remote terrain, making access difficult. The fire is located about three miles west of Waldo Lake and six miles north of Highway 58.
No evacuations are in effect. The fire continues to be very active, moving north, spotting in all directions and putting up a large plume visible from Oakridge.
There’s an emergency closure order - forest users are asked to avoid Forest Roads 2421 and 2424. All trails and trailheads on the west side of Waldo Lake are closed, including Black Canyon, Cupit Mary, Waldo Mountain, Gander Lake, Winchester Lake and the west side of Waldo Lake Trail from South Waldo Shelter to Rigden Butte Trail.
"Crews assigned to the fire were pulled back for a number of reasons: there was no reliable safe access to the fire, there were no escape routes for firefighters on the ground and so far, there are no apparent natural barriers available for firefighters to stop the fire, especially without available air support," according to a social media post by Willamette National Forest. "Fire managers are continuing to work to find a way to get firefighters to the fire," the post continued.
