Travelers on Highway 126 in the McKenzie River corridor may experience some slowdowns this week as fire crews are doing some tree removal related to the Lookout Fire near McKenzie Bridge.
“Expect to see some traffic delays,” said Doug Petray, Operations Sections Chief with the Lookout, Bedrock, Pothole, and Horse Creek Fires. “And the reason for that is we have a few more snags in there that we need to address. So, make sure the folks will be safe there so we can get in there and get around that edge and take care of the hot spots and get that thing wiped off the map.”
On Monday, some evacuation levels were lowered for the Lookout Fire, which has burned more than 24,581 acres and is 20% contained. Petray said they expect more evacuation reductions related to that fire in the coming days.
The Lookout Fire was started by lightning on August 5.
Many popular trails and recreation sites are still closed in the Willamette National Forest because of the fires.
The Horse Creek Fire is 765 acres and 30% contained. And the Pothole Fire is 109 acres and 20% contained. Both of those fires started by lightning on August 24th and 25 respectively.
The Bedrock Fire near Fall Creek is at 31,590 acres and 90% contained. It started on July 22nd and the cause is still under investigation.
