The Deception Complex fire near Oakridge is now 45 percent contained. However, it moved west Thursday night, causing some closures for the long weekend.
Part of the Cottage Grove Ranger District is under an emergency closure. An area southeast of Forest Service Road 17 is closed from Spirit Falls to the divide. Pam Sichting is with the U.S. Forest Service. She says archery season opens this weekend, and bow hunters should stay current with fire updates:
Sichting: "If hunters were to get in there and dive off into some of these drainages, it would be hard to see if the fire actually did increase. So those are in place both for the firefighters' safety and for the public's safety."
The weekend forecast calls for cooler temperatures, but Sichting says cooling can bring wind, which can increase fire activity. She urges anyone heading toward Willamette Pass to pay attention to the fire situation.
Sichting: "On Highway 58, there's all types of activity with firefighters. All the crews are going to be turning off the highway. Smoke settles in in the evening time. At nighttime it can be very difficult to see."
Sichting says drivers should also be careful around reservoirs, where helicopters pick up water. There are more than 900 people working to contain the Deception Complex fires.
Links: National Forest Incident Information System (inciweb). Closure information for the Umpqua National Forest.
