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QuickTake:
Statewide, Oregon has shattered modern fire records with over 2.4 million acres burned. While Lane County has mostly evaded the large blazes from this year's wildfire season, arid conditions keep the risk of a late-season ignition high. And those that have burned have done so close to home.
Smoke billowed from Skinner Butte on Monday, August 17. Local crews quickly brought the flames under control. Yet the proximity of the blaze, right in the heart of the Eugene metro area, sent a stark reminder: the Willamette Valley is in the thick of wildfire season.
“We were forecasted to experience an above-average fire season starting in August,” said Eugene Springfield Fire Chief Mike Caven on August 17, after the Skinner Butte Fire. “We are starting to see larger, faster-moving fires.”
A historically dry winter and spring set the region up for a devastating fire season.
More than 2.4 million acres have been burned by wildfires across Oregon this summer, shattering the previous modern record and nearing four times the annual average, according to the Oregon Department of Forestry.
The vast area burned is largely driven by raging blazes in central and easter Oregon, such as the Rowe Creek Complex, which has burned over 370,000 acres, and the Big Grass Fire, burning over 336,000 acres, according to the National Interagency Fire Center.
In Lane County, acreage numbers are far lower than in other parts of the state, but a number of wildfires have ignited close to home.
The largest wildfire in Lane County this season sparked on August 11, and spread quickly through timber and logging debris on private timberland. The fire burned 25 acres on the Lane and Douglas county line, 16 miles south of Cottage Grove.
Both the Oregon Department of Forestry and the Douglas Forest Protective Association responded with engines, bulldozers, helicopters and a fixed-wing plane.
Other notable fires include the following.
- In southeast Springfield, construction work lit a 16-acre grass fire, leading to evacuation notices for nearby residents. Eugene Springfield Fire, along with Pleasant Hill Goshen Fire, Lowell Fire, Oregon Department of Forestry, Coburg Fire, Mohawk Fire, and Upper McKenzie Fire all sent resources to assist in suppressing the blaze.
- In late July, nine acres burned on Bureau of Land Management forestland near Mohawk. The fire ignited after more than 300 lightning strikes touched down across Lane County. The Oregon Department of Forestry and Mohawk Valley Rural Fire District deployed ground and air resources.
Lookout Eugene Springfield has been tracking fires in Lane County throughout the season. You can follow the monitor here.
Additionally, local residents have felt effects from the wildfires outside of Lane County.
Earlier in August, smoke blanketed Eugene and Springfield for nearly a week, pushing air quality into “unhealthy” levels. Outside of the Oakridge area, it was the worst smoke event in the Willamette Valley since the 2020 Holiday Farm Fire, said Travis Knudsen, executive director of the Lane Regional Air Protection Agency.
Last year, Lane County’s wildfire season cost over $78 million. It burned less than half the acreage of this year.
The record-setting acreage burned this year could put it on track to become the most expensive fire season in Oregon history, according to the Oregonian.
Although lucky so far, Lane County is not in the clear yet.
“The risk to the community is anywhere a fire can start this time of year,” Caven said. “Especially during a red flag day or during a particularly dangerous situation, which is the new extreme fire weather warning.”
Fire officials stress the importance of taking fire safety precautions while dry conditions persist, like being careful while cooking outdoors, discarding potentially flammable materials and using a trailer without properly maintaining its bearings.
“Anything you do that creates a spark,” he said.
