The sky over Oakridge was orange on Sept. 9 when officials issued a Level 3 evacuation order for the city. Martin Nelson, who’s lived in Oakridge for 18 years, evacuated his home the same day. Unsure of how long the wildfire would be blazing, Nelson slept in his car for two nights on the S. Pioneer Street bridge parking lot in Lowell.
On the morning of Sept. 11, he finally decided to drive to the evacuation center at the Lane County Fairgrounds.
“I figured maybe the thing would blow over, or they’d finally at the last minute get it snuffed out,” said Nelson. “I thought, ‘I don’t want to go unless I have to.’ And I kind of had to.”
Officials issued a Level 3 evacuation order to the cities of Oakridge and Westfir on Sept. 9, according to Cedar Creek Fire public information officer Bud Sexton.
The area has since moved to a Level 2 evacuation status, the “Be Set” stage, meaning residents may return to Oakridge but should be ready to leave their homes again in a moment’s notice if nearby fire danger escalates.
Even before the Level 3 evacuation order was issued, residents of Oakridge, Westfir and surrounding unincorporated areas began packing their belongings and preparing to leave the area.
Cedar Creek Fire public information officer Bud Sexton said the extremely low relative humidity in the area along with dry fuels and challenging topography have made the fire especially difficult to contain.
As of Sept. 13, the wildfire covered over 92,000 acres, and 1,260 fire personnel from across the country have been assigned to fight it.
Cris Marsh, a painter, sat in his truck while his girlfriend bought provisions inside the corner store. They had stopped at the Bridge Town Market in Lowell while evacuating their home in Oakridge on Sept. 10.
“A couple neighbors, families, haven’t left yet,” Marsh said. They’ve lived there a long time, and they had a lot of history there, he said.
His girlfriend’s family has lived on property in the Oakridge area since the 1960s. He said he can understand why some refuse to leave.
“This is an old town,” Marsh said. “A lot of fourth and fifth generation people live her
The pair packed up most of their belongings when evacuating, leaving behind only odds and ends that wouldn’t fit in his truck. Their trailer, however, had to be left behind.
Many of those who evacuated the fire danger areas came to the Lane County Fairgrounds where Red Cross worked alongside Greenhill Humane Society to provide care and shelter for evacuees and their animals.
Large livestock like horses and cows were housed on the fairground’s west side, while smaller animals like dogs, cats and a few cockatiels were kept in the exhibition hall adjacent to the main evacuation center.
Cary Lieberman, Greenhill Humane Society’s executive director, was at the fairground shelter coordinating efforts to temporarily house evacuated pets. The number of animals sheltered at Lane County Fairgrounds on Sept. 11 nearly matched the number of humans, Lieberman said.
According to Lieberman, as of Sept. 11, almost 100 animals were sheltered at the Fairgrounds, and 45 more were sheltered at Greenhill facilities. This isn’t counting the large livestock animals being sheltered by Lane County Animal Services.
Lieberman said it’s been a relief for many of the evacuees that there is a space on site to safely keep their pets.
“So many people are coming in and snuggling with their animals,” Lieberman said. “I’ve heard people say that their purring cat on their chest is what eases all of their fears in this situation.”
More than 100 people were staying at the Lane County Fairgrounds evacuation shelter Sunday morning, according to Red Cross public information officer Dyana Mason. The Red Cross offered medical care and provided evacuees with medical supplies such as canes and walkers, new glasses and prescription medication.
Laurie Klein is a licensed clinical social worker who volunteered as a Red Cross disaster mental health provider at Lane County Fairgrounds on Sept 11.
Her key role is being onsite and available to provide mental health care for people staying at the shelter as well as Red Cross staff.
“It can be sitting across the lunch table and chatting with them, listening to their stories, allowing them to vent,” Klein said. “Somebody could be having a panic attack, need some grounding, and it helps if they have someone who can listen to them and validate their experience.”
It’s a high-stress situation for evacuees and Red Cross staff. If a staff member is feeling overwhelmed, Klein is one of the mental health providers who would sit down with them and let them debrief and advocate to their supervisor that they need to take some time off to recuperate.
As of Sunday morning, everyone who wanted to evacuate Oakridge did so safely, Lane County Sheriff’s department public information officer Sergeant Tom Speldrich said. Since Sept. 11, Highway 58 was unbarricaded at Lowell, and a new barricade was set up at Oakridge’s easternmost boundary.
“We don’t take these evacuation level changes lightly,” Speldrich said. “There’s a ton of planning and coordination with fire behavior experts, incident management teams and meteorologists that goes into effect before we make any of those changes.”
The Cedar Creek Fire is still growing, and it is possible that the city of Oakridge could return to a Level 3, Speldrich said.
“We’re not encouraging people to drop their guard by any means,” Speldrich said.
Speldrich said that residents who have evacuated because of the wildfire should check the Cedar Creek Fire Facebook page and fire incident maps for updates before returning home. Predictions are only so accurate, and those with mobility issues or large livestock should also consider their personal safety before making the choice to pack up and drive home, he said.
