The normal fall weather pattern is back in place in the Pacific Northwest, with cold fronts and rain moving through.
Courtesy of the National Weather Service
Now that rain has moved into the Northwest, crews are getting a better handle on wildfires burning in the region.
Jerry McAdams, a spokesperson for crews at the Cedar Creek Fire, said the rain over the last few days has given them a bit of a reprieve, as the acreage of the fire has not increased since Friday.
“As we’ve gone through the last several days, the acreage has been the same,” he said. “Prior to the precipitation, those acreages were increasing by hundreds of acres every day.”
Since it began nearly two months ago, the fire has reached nearly 128,000 acres. McAdams said the containment of the fire has likely gone up quite a bit more than the 55% listed in the Monday morning update.
“We’ve been unable to fly infrared flights for the last few days because of the weather,” he said. “I know the incident commanders here are working on providing a more accurate number for you. It’s greater than 55%.”
The Lane County Sheriff’s Office announced Monday morning that all remaining evacuation orders in the Oakridge, West Fir and High Prairie areas have been lifted.
In Southwest Washington, crews also made progress on the Nakia Creek Fire over the wet weekend. Containment on the 1,900-acre fire jumped from about 35% on Friday to 63% by Monday morning.
McAdams said while the long overdue fall weather signals the beginning of the end of this fire season, it’s never too early to start thinking about the next one.
“Folks here live in a fire-prone ecosystem,” he said. “We’re going to experience this kind of thing in the future. And from a sort of prevention message standpoint, we want people to be prepared.”
He said now is the time for people to ensure their homes are protected against wildfires.
“This is a great time of year to to see those leaves falling on the ground, and the winds eddy around your house,” he said. “Where those leaves actually collect, those are the same places where during a wind-blown firestorm, those embers are going to collect.”
Related: How To Prepare Your Home For Wildfire