Oregon wildfires: Terwilliger Fire grows to 1,250 acres, closes 26 trails and campgrounds

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UPDATE at 10 a.m. on Friday, August 24

The Terwilliger Fire burning east of Eugene at Cougar Reservoir grew to 3,800 acres by Friday morning.

The fire is expected to show significant growth today, as blue skies and winds fuel its growth, officials said.

The fire is also expected to be a long-term event, given its spread into the Three Sisters Wilderness.

For the latest, see today's story.

LATEST: Terwilliger Fire grows to 3,800 acres, expected to be long-term wildfire

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UPDATE at 10:15 a.m. on Thursday, August 23

The Terwilliger Fire burning east of Eugene at Cougar Reservoir roared to 3,200 acres and spread into the Three Sisters Wilderness by Thursday morning.

The fire has closed 26 campgrounds, recreation sites and hiking trails.

For the latest update, see today's story:

LATEST: Terwilliger Fire doubles in size to 3,200 acres, spreads into Three Sisters Wilderness

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ORIGINAL STORY

A wildfire that ignited Sunday is having a major impact on the recreation season in the Cougar Reservoir area east of Eugene.

The U.S. Forest Service has closed down 26 campgrounds, recreation sites and hiking trails due to the Terwilliger Fire.

See below for full list and closure map.

The agency announced the official closure as the fire grew to 1,250 acres Wednesday morning, up from an estimated 250 acres on Tuesday.

The closure includes Aufderheide Scenic Highway and Terwilliger Hot Springs, which only opened recently after a landslide had kept the area closed due to a landslide last winter.

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“We understand this is a disappointment to residents and visitors who patiently waited for the road to reopen after the December 2017 landslide, but unfortunately, the risk is too great,” said Forest Supervisor Tracy Beck. “Our highest responsibility must be visitor and firefighter safety.”

The closure also closes down a number of areas, including the French Pete Trail and Campground, that were closed last year due to the Horse Creek Complex fires.

There’s no timetable for reopening the sites.

(Story continues below)

As for the fire, it grew by more than 1,000 acres Wednesday. Fire teams said they’re focused on holding the fire south of Boone Creek, a morning report said.

“They completed line from Forest Road 19 to the Forest Road 115 and will implement a burn out operation to strengthen the control line,” the report said.

“Heavy equipment will continue to open existing roads and fire managers will scout out areas with the most probability of success to hold the fire on the northeast side of the fire.”

The fire ignited near the trail to Terwilliger Hot Springs on Sunday, nearly trapping 20 people at the hot springs, including a father and son.

The origin of the fire remains under investigation.

Below you'll find details on the closure, in addition to the round-up of all the wildfires burning around Oregon.

Terwilliger Fire closures

Here's a roundup of what's closed by the Terwilliger Fire. It's almost entirely south of Highway 126 and around Cougar Reservoir.

Here's a map. See below for written breakdown of impacted sites.

Aufderheide Scenic Highway: From Highway 126, the closure begins where Forest Service Road 19 intersects with Forest Service Road 1900-408 and continues south to Rebel Trailhead.

Closed Campgrounds: Hard Rock Campground, French Pete Campground, Cougar Crossing Campground, Sunnyside Campground, Slide Creek Campground

Closed Recreation Sites: Indian Ridge Lookout, Terwilliger Hot Springs, Echo Day Use and Boat Launch

Closed Trails: French Pete Trail #3311, Bear Flat Trail #3301, Quaking Aspen Trail #3332, Lowder Mountain Trail #3329, Olallie Mountain Trail #4100, Walker Creek Trail #3330, East Fork Trail #3308, Indian Ridge Trail #3315, Rider Creek Trail #3319, French Pete Trailhead, Upper Lowder Mountain Trailhead, Upper East Fork Trailhead, Lower East Fork/Lower Echo Trailhead, Echo Trailhead, O'Leary / Castle Rock Trailhead, Lowder Mountain Trailhead, Indian Ridge North (Upper) Trailhead, Indian Ridge South (Lower) Trailhead

Closed Forest Service Roads (FSR): Sections of FSR 1900, Sections of FSR 2618, Sections of FSR 1927, FSR 1900-408, FSR 1900-410, FSR 1980, FSR 1985, FSR 1986, Sections of FSR 1993, FSR 1994

Klondike and Taylor Creek fires (Southern Oregon)

The two largest and most high profile wildfires for much of the summer appear to be winding down.

Containment lines have continued to hold on the Klondike Fire (76,098 acres, 33 percent contained) and the Taylor Creek Fire (52,588 acres, 95 percent contained).

"The good news is I don’t have much to update," Illinois Valley Fire District Chief Dennis Hoke said. "The game is not over but it is looking good."

A smoke inversion and cooler temperatures is expect to slow the fire down even more, fire teams said Wednesday.

The main focus has remained on Klondike Fire's west side, with the goal of preventing the fire's spread toward Selma, Cave Junction and U.S. Highway 199 in the Illinois Valley.

"The lower temperatures, combined with lighter winds, helped firefighters hold key control lines on the south end of the Klondike Fire East along Babyfoot Road," fire reports said.

"Firefighters are working diligently to widen the southern control line with tactical firing operations using drones and hand ignitions."

Jennie's Peak Fire (Eastern Oregon)

After burning a total of 77,500 acres and growing into a conflagaration, firefighters are now advancing on Stubblefield, Seale, Lonerock, and Jennie's Peak fires burning in Central Oregon.

The Jennie's Peak Fire, which was sparked by lightning last week, grew rapidly to 38,000 acres and moved close to the Painted Hills Monday, but hasn't advanced since then.

The fire is located about 8 miles north of the Painted Hills along the John Day River. Air quality in the area has improved, locals said.

"It's better today," officials at the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument said via Twitter.

Burn operations and mild weather helped firefighters increase containment from 10 percent to 40 percent by Wednesday morning.

“We are driving the fire now, it is not driving us," said Andy Louden, Oregon State Fire Marshal deputy incident commander.

About 270 personnel are battling the wildfire as it torches juniper, timber, grasses and shrubs on Bureau of Land Management and private lands.

All three units of the monument remain open for the moment, but that could change quickly, warned park superintendent Patrick Gamman Monday.

Smoke blanketed the area, reducing visibility and air quality.

Fire managers estimated that it would be contained by Aug. 27.

Stubblefield Fire (Central Oregon)

Cooler temperatures and high humidity helped keep the Stubblefield Fire under control Tuesday, officials said. The 21,000-acre fire is 50 percent contained.

Burn operations conducted on the west flank and to the north proved to be very effective, strengthening fire lines.