A 6,000 acre wildfire 10 miles from Canyonville has initiated level 3 evacuations for residents near the upper Cow Creek area. Level 3 is a mandatory warning to leave. The Stouts Fire was spotted early Thursday afternoon. Drought conditions and temperatures hovering around 100 degrees caused the blaze to grow quickly.Local fire crews have handed off containment duties to the Oregon Department of Forestry. Kyle Reed is with the Douglas County Forest Protective Association. He says extreme temperatures are contributing to heat exhaustion for some crew members
Reed: "So that's something that we are taking very seriously. We're making sure that our guys get plenty of water and adequate rest breaks, get in the shade, and cool off. It's really hot down here; it's much warmer than it's been all year so far."
A second wildfire burning in Douglas County is burning at 800 acres. The cause of both fires is under investigation.
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