80-acre wildfire near Oakridge sends smoke billowing into the sky for hours

A fire near the Hills Creek Reservoir in the Willamette National Forest , about 15 miles south of Oakridge , grew to 80 acres on Wednesday, Aug. 26.

It ignited around 2:15 p.m. Oregon Hazard Lab detection cameras showed smoke billowing steadily throughout the afternoon into the early evening hours, when the plume began to taper off.

The U.S. Forest Service, which holds primary jurisdiction over the land where the fire is burning, shut down the nearby Sand Prairie Campground. The agency urged the public to avoid the area and Forest Service Road 21.

Four aircraft, including helicopters, supported workers on the ground, along with a bulldozer from the Oregon Department of Forestry and a Forest Service firefighting crew. As of 8 p.m., crews had lined , using either hose or a shallow trench , about 90 percent of the fire, with the Middle Fork Willamette River serving as a natural barrier along part of its edge.

Forest Service law enforcement and the Lane County Sheriff’s Office are investigating the cause. Additionally, the Forest Service is coordinating with Sierra Pacific Industries, whose timberlands adjoin the fire.

Wednesday’s fire scorched grass in an area next to burn scars from the 2024 Coffee Pot Fire, which was part of the larger South Willamette Complex. That complex lasted for weeks and burned more than 6,000 acres.