Live updates: Multiple fires burning in Oregon, SW Washington

PORTLAND, Ore. — Multiple wildfires are burning throughout the Portland metro area and surrounding areas on Tuesday.

Gov. Kate Brown invoked the Emergency Conflagration Act in response to three major wildfires, which allows the state fire marshal to mobilize resources to assist local firefighters.  

Evacuation notices have been issued or several wildfires, and roads and schools have been closed.

INTERACTIVE MAP: Fires burning in Oregon and Washington

Here's the latest information:

High winds and dry air have caused several wildfires in Clackamas County Monday night and Tuesday, and Portland General Electric preemptively shut down power lines along the U.S. 26 Mount Hood corridor.

County officials declared a state of emergency Tuesday afternoon as four active wildfires in the county led to evacuations:

• Level 3 "Go Now" - south of OR 211 between Estacada and Woodburn.
• Oregon City - at Redland and Potter Road
• Colton Area - at Unger Road
• Molalla Area - at Wilhoit and Bird Road
• And the Job Corps at Ripplebrook, in the Mount Hood National Forest, evacuated due to the Beachie Creek Fire

Another new fire started Tuesday in Eagle Creek, off Highway 211 between Damascus and Estacada. That fire is burning near Wildcat Mountain Road.

Fire officials have not yet released information on the size of the fire and are unsure of its status. To this point, there haven't been any evacuation notices, but there are homes and farmland in the area and crews are cutting down brush around the homes to keep it from catching fire and spreading to homes.

A Clackamas County fire official said they have too many fires to even count because the wind keeps picking up embers from existing fires and carrying them to nearby areas, where they start new spot fires.

RELATED: Fires burning in Clackamas County force evacuations

A fire that broke out Monday night at RSG Forest Products, a lumber mill in Molalla off Highway 213, had grown to 200 acres Tuesday morning and was 50% contained. 

Highway 213 was shut down Tuesday night but has since reopened.

PGE reported that About 27,500 residents in Clackamas County were without power as of 1:30 p.m.

Marion County has declared a state of emergency because of wildfires that are spreading rapidly in the county.

The state of emergency allows the county to seek resources from the state government and implements the county's Emergency Operations Plan, which provides for emergency purchasing procedures and more flexibility for personnel utilization.

The Beachie Creek Fire has combined with several other fires in the Santiam Canyon area and is now called the Santiam Fire. The fire has prompted Level 3 (Go Now) evacuation orders for residents in Santiam Canyon. 

The Santiam Fire has burned over 200,000 acres so far, Gov. Brown said Tuesday.

The following locations were under Level 3 (Go Now) evacuation orders Tuesday, according to the Marion County Sheriff's Office:

• Lyons
• Mehama
• Detroit
• Idanha
• Hwy. 214 north of Silver Falls State Park to Scotts Mills

Level 2 (Be Set) evacuations were issued for the following areas:

• Stayton
• Sublimity
• Aumsville
• Silverton
• Hwy. 213 west Mt. Angel Silverton to Drakes Crossing

It's unclear how many lives and structures have been lost in the Marion County fires. State fire officials urged any central or eastern Marion County residents who have not been notified of a Level 2 evacuation (get set) to consider themselves at Level 1 (get ready).  

An evacuation staging area has been established at the Oregon State Fairgrounds at 2330 17th Street NE in Salem. Impacted residents can call 503-391-7294 for more information.

Highway 22 eastbound is closed from Stayton to Santiam Junction.

The Breitenbush Hot Springs and Devil's Creek communities were placed at Level 3 evacuation status Monday night.

A wildfire has reportedly burned dozens of homes in the town of Blue River east of Eugene in Lane County.

According to The Register-Guard, Lane County Administrator Steve Mokrohisky said Blue River has suffered "catastrophic damage" and lives have likely been lost.

Blue River is on Highway 126 near the McKenzie River.

Gov. Brown's emergency declaration will send more resources to firefighters battling the fire.

Shortly after noon, a Level 3 (Go Now) evacuation order due to the fire burning near Hagg Lake was extended to include all of Dundee Road.

The entire city of Cherry Grove was upgraded from Level 2 (Get Set) to Level 3 (Go Now).

A Level 3 evacuation order means all residents must leave immediately.

The fire, burning in the hills south of Hagg Lake near Gaston, forced officials to close Hagg Lake, shutting off boat access or use of the park around the lake.

NEW EVACUATION NOTICE - ALL OF CHERRY GROVE IS NOW UNDER A LEVEL 1 GET READY ORDER. The Stimson Mainline Fire is starting to put out spot fires and winds are making fire growth challenging to predict. pic.twitter.com/4DNeIMbzGw

— Forest Grove Fire (@ForestGroveFire) September 8, 2020

Several fires started overnight in Tillamook because of downed power lines, according to the Tillamook County Sheriff's Office.

The largest fire started at 10:50 p.m. on Pike Road and had grown to 50 acres by Tuesday morning. Residents were evacuated and a shelter was set up at the County Fairgrounds. The Tillamook County Incident Command Team said the evacuation order for the Pike Road Fire had not been lifted.

They also asked people not to call 911 or the non-emergency line about being able to return to the area. They will advise when it is safe to return.

Four other smaller fires were contained overnight. The sheriff's office said more than 12,000 residents in the county were without power Tuesday.

There were two active fires in Lincoln County Tuesday, both off of Highway 18. The first, near Echo Mountain Road, prompted Level 3 (Go Now) and Level 1 (Get Ready) evacuation notices for residents in the area.

The second, near Kimberling Mountain Road, prompted Level 3 (Go Now), Level 2 (Get Set) and Level 1 (Get Ready) evacuation notices.

A third fire, in Waldport off Highway 34 near milepost 4, was contained.

As of 6:30 a.m. Tuesday, the following roads were closed in Lincoln County, due to downed trees and power lines: 

• Highway 101 at milepost 126
• Highway 34 at milepost 4 and 5
• Highway 18 at milepost 7-10 

Check tripcheck.com for the latest information on road closures.

A fire burning near Ashland has prompted the Oregon Department of Transportation to close I-5. The southbound closure is from exit 35 north of Central Point to Exit 14 south Ashland. Travelers are encouraged to "seek local services in Medford until fire conditions improve." The northbound closure is at the Oregon-California border to exit 24 at Phoenix. Traffic was being turned back into California.

Oregon 99 is closed between Phoenix and Talent. there is no estimated time of re-opening for the closures, ODOT said.

Check for road closures.

Update: I-5 NB is now closed at the border due to the Ashland area fire. Traffic being turned back into California.

— OregonDOT (@OregonDOT) September 8, 2020

East County Fire & Rescue reported at 5:47 a.m. Tuesday that crews were responding to a wildfire in the area of Paradise Road and Northeast Rosemary Drive in Washougal and they asked residents in that area to be prepared to evacuate.