Santiam Park Fire burns 189 acres near Lyons, but all evacuations lifted

UPDATE at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, March 20

A wildfire that sprang to life Tuesday evening and brought multiple evacuations to the Santiam Canyon is slowly coming under control. 

The Santiam Park Fire ignited late Tuesday and, fueled by high winds, spread across the North Santiam River toward homes outside Lyons. 

By Wednesday evening, all evacuations had been lifted and those displaced by the blaze had been allowed to return home. 

The fire has burned 189 acres and there is line around 80 percent of it. No homes or structures have been burned.

More:'We could see the flames, and it was terrifying.' Residents escape from Santiam Park Fire

The increase in acres burned since Wednesday morning was due to better mapping and not a major spread of the blaze. 

“Some folks seem surprised to see this fire on the landscape in March,” said incident commander Blake Ellis, “but as firefighters, we are trained to consider the conditions, not the calendar. The dedication of the local fire departments and crews combined with the involvement and support of the local community continues to impress me.”  

The fire began Tuesday afternoon near North Santiam State Recreation Area — which includes a small campground and hiking trails between Mehama and Mill City. 

It spread across the river and at one point prompted evacuation of around 42 households, mostly outside Lyons. 

But firefighters hit the blaze hard Wednesday, as 85 firefighters from multiple agencies used helicopters, dozers and other heavy equipment to gradually subdue what represents a very early season wildfire. 

The fire came within less than a mile of Highway 22 but officials said fire teams were able to keep the roadway open throughout the incident. 

Earlier reports suggested that multiple fires might have grown together, but Oregon Department of Forestry spokeswoman Bobbi Doan said the blaze was the product of one fire that remains under investigation. 

The fire burned in a mixture of timber and brush, with the most active fire burning on the northeast flank closer to Highway 22. The fire did appear to do significant damage to North Santiam Recreation Area, which remains closed. 

UPDATE at 10 a.m.

The Linn County Sheriff's office announced Wednesday morning that evacuation levels near Lyons were dropped to level 2, or 'Be Set' following a scary night due to the Santiam Park Fire. 

This allowed residents to return to their homes but officials cautioned they should be ready to leave again if conditions change.

No structures are believed to have been burned in the fire that officials say is still at 20 percent containment.

Ahead of increased east winds in the forecast, the Marion County Fire Defense Board has issued a county-wide fire ban which covers Marion, Linn and Clackamas counties.

The ban includes both agricultural and backyard debris burning as well as camp fires and fire pits.

More:'We could see the flames, and it was terrifying.' Residents escape from Santiam Park Fire

Here's the latest map showing the evacuation areas. 

UPDATE at 8:45 a.m. on Wednesday, March 20

The Santiam Park Fire continued to burn actively between Lyons and Mill City Wednesday morning as 75 firefighters worked to control the 60-acre blaze. 

A total of 42 homes have been evacuated on both sides of the North Santiam River, with the fire still just 20 percent contained. 

The fire is less than a mile from Highway 22 but officials stressed that the roadway remains open. 

"Today's goal is to fight the fire aggressively and continue to build and establish fire lines," Oregon Department of Forestry spokeswoman Bobbi Doan said. "Yesterday was a win because there were no injuries and no structures lost." 

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Earlier reports suggested that multiple fires might have grown together, but Doan said the blaze was the product of one fire that began near North Santiam State Recreation Area and spread across the river fueled by high winds. 

The cause of the fire remains under investigation. 

The fire is burning in a mixture of timber and brush, with the most active fire burning on the northeast flank closer to Highway 22. 

Officials said they'd have an update and more accurate map of the fire Wednesday afternoon. They expected the size of the fire to grow due to more accurate mapping, but the containment should also grow. 

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While it is early in the season for a wildfire, Doan pointed out that conditions over the past few days have been prime for wildfire. 

"We had high temperatures and low humidity — perfect conditions for fire behavior," Doan said. 

Evacuations remain in place for residents of Lyons west of Neighbors Lane, including 25th Avenue, River Loop and Oak Lane.

Bryan Wolf of Lyons was heading home from Stayton around 3 p.m. Tuesday when he noticed the smoke and hoped it wasn't at his house. 

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"They called us on the home phone here and told us to evacuate twice," Wolf said. "We just thought we’d stay put for a little while, keep our eye on it because the wind was still blowing to the east and the fire was headed down river.

"Once the wind slacked up a little bit, it started coming back and burning more vegetation close to the river, and it got to be a little bit scary for us. The firefighters showed up with their engine and pumper and we felt pretty secure after that."

Wolf said it was the first wildfire of the type he has seen since moving to Lyons in 2002.

The Red Cross is using Mari-Linn Elementary School in Lyons as an evacuation center.

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Fire agencies from Marion and Linn counties – including the Oregon Department of Forestry, Lyons Fire Department, Mill City Fire Department and Sublimity Fire Department – were working to get the fire under control, including using a helicopter.

An emergency citizen alert was issued about 3 p.m. Tuesday for those who live in the area to evacuate.

Brianna Schott was returning to her Lyons home with her 2-year-old when she first saw the fire.

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"We could see the smoke coming up and I was like, 'that's really close to where I live,'" she said Tuesday night. "I gathered all the things I could. We could see tons of smoke and helicopters going over. And then it was time to go." 

Schott said she expected the evacuation to last at least 24 hours. 

"It was a big shock, especially around here," she said. "We've had little field fires, but this is the biggest event I can remember. We just had snow, and now this?" 

North Santiam State Recreation Area has been closed during the fire. 

This story will be updated as more information becomes available. 

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Zach Urness has been an outdoors reporter, photographer and videographer in Oregon for 11 years. He can be reached at zurness@StatesmanJournal.com or (503) 399-6801. Find him on Twitter at @ZachsORoutdoors.

bpoehler@StatesmanJournal.com or Twitter.com/bpoehler