Terwilliger Fire grows to 125 acres, closes hot springs, campgrounds east of Eugene

Zach Urness | Statesman Journal

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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

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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UPDATE at 10:40 a.m. on Wednesday, August 22

The Terwilliger Fire roared to more than 1,250 acres Wednesday morning at Cougar Reservoir east of Eugene.

The fire brought the closure of 26 campgrounds, recreation sites and hiking trails in the area.

For full details on what's been closed, see today's story.

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

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ORIGINAL STORY

The Terwilliger Fire burning east of Eugene grew to an estimated 125 acres Tuesday morning and brought closures to the recreation areas near Cougar Reservoir.

The wildfire, which sprang to life Sunday and nearly trapped 20 people at popular Terwilliger Hot Springs, became the first major wildfire of the season in Willamette National Forest.

The fire is burning on both sides of the reservoir and is being attacked by 87 firefighters that include helicopters, engines and dozers, officials said Tuesday morning.

It's a "full suppression" wildfire, meaning fire teams plan to put it out as quickly as is safely possible. But it could be a difficult fire to corral due to high winds.

"The weather will challenge firefighters today," a morning fire report said. "An offshore flow will produce easterly winds with gusts up to 30 MPH. These windy conditions are forecasted to continue through Wednesday."

That means the fire is likely to grow, officials said.

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Recreation closures impact trails, lake

Many recreation destinations in the Cougar Reservoir area, including hiking trails, lookouts and campgrounds are closed.

The closure begins on Aufderheide Scenic Highway about half a mile south of Oregon Highway 126 near Blue River.

The closure includes Terwilliger Hot Springs, much of the reservoir and continues south to Rebel Rock Trailhead.

Indian Ridge Lookout, Hidden Lake, Box Canyon Guard station and horse camp, and other landmarks south of the reservoir are also inaccessible, officials said.

A more formal closure notice will come later today or tomorrow.

"We have a lot of other recreational areas in the McKenzie River Corridor we are directing people to, including Proxy Falls and McKenzie River Trail," Willamette National Forest spokeswoman Chiara Cipriano said.

No residential areas or structures are currently threatened and there are no evacuation notices at this time. Crews have been unable to assess the extent of damage to the hot springs, a news release said Monday night.

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Almost trapped by wildfire

The fire got off to a scary start.

Although the cause remains under investigation, the fire’s point of origin was near the trail to popular Terwilliger Hot Springs, officials said.

The fire roared to life and nearly trapped around 20 people who were soaking at the hot springs.

Robert Noble and his 10-year-old son Parker sprinted out of the forest and through a wall of flames that had begun to engulf the trail around 3 p.m. on Sunday.

"We were just soaking and having a great time, when all of a sudden somebody came running up the trail and said, 'Hey, there's a fire and you need to evacuate,'" said Robert Noble, who lives in Springfield. "We just started running. The fire had just started to cross the path when we got there. We put our towels over our noses and mouths and ran through the flames that were four to six feet tall.

"Looking back, we could see the fire running up the mountain. I knew it was going to get big because it was just so dry in there."

Noble said the smoke was so thick he could barely see anything, but once they reached the road and their vehicle, park rangers were ordering backup and resources.

"I told them, 'There's people trapped in there,'" Noble said. "There was an elderly man and another guy in a wheelchair. My only thought was that I needed to get my son out of there. That's all I was thinking about."

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Forest Service officials said they successfully evacuated everybody from the hot springs without serious injury.

Today's firefighting

Firefighters have been installing hose lays and sprinklers in the Boone Creek drainage, where they'll attempt to slow the growth of the fire, reports said.

They will also work on opening existing roads and lines used last year on the east side of Cougar Reservoir. Smoky conditions have restricted visibility. Aircraft will be used if conditions allow, officials said.

Terwilliger Hot Springs, also known as Cougar Hot Springs, only recently reopened following an extended closure due to a rockslide that blocked access.

Response to the fire has included teams from the Oregon Department of Forestry and the U.S. Forest Service.

This story will be updated as more information becomes available.

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