A rapidly moving brush fire caused a scare for a rural area just outside northwest Eugene on Monday afternoon.
Firefighters were called to the scene near Green Hill Road and Bodenhamer Road shortly after 3:30 p.m. Smoke from the blaze quickly grew and was visible on wildfire cameras and from parts of west Eugene. The fire was near the southern edge of the Eugene Airport, but airport operations did not appear to be affected.
As the fire spread, the Lane County Sheriff's Office issued a Level 3 (GO NOW) evacuation notice for an area bordered by Bodenhamer Road, Green Hill Road, Royal Avenue and Fir Butte Road.
Around 7:30 p.m., as fire crews got the blaze under control, the evacuations were downgraded to a Level 1 (BE READY) level. According to the Lane Fire Authority, those levels are likely to stay in place through the night. The agency said the fire is under control, and that the cause is under investigation.
While technically not inside the Level 3 evacuation zone, the fire caused the Greenhill Humane Society to evacuate. The shelter was less than one mile from the "GO NOW" zone and for a time, was inside of a Level 1 (BE READY) zone.
The organization posted on Facebook that "all animals and people at Greenhill have been safely evacuated."
Later, as evacuation levels were downgraded for the area just north of the shelter, and removed entirely for the shelter itself, Greenhill posted that animals were being taken back to the facility.
"We are grateful for the fire crews that acted swiftly and happy that everyone will be able to rest safely and soundly tonight," the post read.
According to the Watch Duty fire reporting app, the blaze was mapped at approximately 115 acres.
