The Emigrant Fire has spread to 23,404 acres in eastern Lane and Douglas Counties.
The fire, which is burning in the scar of a 2009 blaze, continues to grow. And weather conditions mean that growth is expected to increase in the coming days.
The National Weather Service has issued a Red Flag Warning through 9:00 p.m. Wednesday from the Mount Jefferson area southward into California, a stretch that includes the location of the Emigrant Fire. The agency said the area could experience wind gusts that could reach as high as 40 miles an hour.
Wind is an element that has not been a major factor so far on the fire, according to Miles Pollack, a fire behavior analyst with the incident management team overseeing efforts on the Emigrant Fire.
“That wind will increase behavior, both by pushing on the fire and also by the potential to move any embers that are lofted by fire activity,” he said in a video update.
Along with warmer temperatures and wind will also come a chance for thunderstorms, which could also help create other small fires in the area.
“Thunderstorm threat looks likely to continue into the overnight hours [Tuesday], and again for [Wednesday] as temperatures stay warm, relative humidity stays low, and critical fire weather continues,” said team Meteorologist Matthew Dehr in the video.
Both Pollack and Dehr expect the reformation of a strong plume of smoke from the Emigrant Fire as conditions change, and fire growth to continue to spread.
Air quality
Smoke from the Emigrant Fire has prompted the Lane Regional Air Protection Agency to issue an Air Quality Advisory for eastern Lane County.
"Expect intermittent periods of heavy smoke with air quality potentially degrading to very unhealthy or even hazardous at times, particularly in the Oakridge and Westfir area," the agency said in a press release issued Tuesday afternoon.
LRAPA said the advisory is expected to remain in place through at least Thursday evening.
