The Cedar Creek Fire was a large

wildfire A wildfire, forest fire, or a bushfire is an unplanned and uncontrolled fire in an area of Combustibility and flammability, combustible vegetation. Depending on the type of vegetation present, a wildfire may be more specifically identified as a ...

in the U.S. state of Oregon that began on August 1, 2022, with a series of lightning strikes in the

Willamette National Forest The Willamette National Forest is a United States National Forest, National Forest located in the central portion of the Cascade Range of the U.S. state of Oregon. It comprises . Over 380,000 acres (694 mi2, 1,540 km2) are National Wil ...

approximately east of Oakridge. By September 8, the fire had reached over . By September 10, it was over 74,000 acres; 30,000 foot high

pyrocumulonimbus The cumulonimbus flammagenitus cloud (CbFg), also known as the pyrocumulonimbus cloud, is a type of cumulonimbus cloud that forms above a source of heat, such as a wildfire, nuclear explosion, or volcanic eruption, and may sometimes even exting ...

clouds from the fire were producing their own lightning; Oakridge was evacuated. Smoke from the fire moved into

Southwest Washington Southwest Washington is a geographical area of the U.S. state of Washington, encompassing roughly half of Western Washington. It generally includes the Olympia area southwards to the Oregon-Washington state line at Vancouver. Olympia, the state c ...

then the

Puget Sound region The Puget Sound region is a coastal area of the Pacific Northwest in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington, including Puget Sound, the Puget Sound lowlands, and the surrounding region roughly west of the Cascade Range and east of the ...

on September 10; on that day

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

recorded the worst air quality of any major city in the world. By September 11 it had grown to 86,000 acres. Over 2,000 homes were evacuated.

Events

August

Late in the day on August 1, the fire was ignited by a lightning strike. It was first detected about west of Waldo Lake in the

. Firefighters were slow to contain the fire, due to the rough and unsafe terrain surrounding the wildfire. The fire was estimated to be at around 5 acres on August 2, and was later estimated to be at on early in the day on August 3, and a later estimate that day stated it was . On August 3, the fire started moving more north and east and started burning in heavy timber and by August 4, it had grown to around , and smoke was predicted to affect the cities of Bend, Oregon, Bend and Sisters, Oregon, Sisters, Oregon. An infrared reading on August 5 sized the fire at around . On August 15, the fire grew to 4,422 acres with 0% containment. An area closure of all trailheads and dispersed camping North and West of Waldo Lake and Temporary Flight Restrictions were in effect. On August 27, the fire grew to 7,632 acres with 0% containment. Area closures remained in effect North and West of Waldo Lake. Calm weather provided better opportunities for fire suppression. Firelines were continuing to be constructed using minimum impact suppressrion tactics (MIST) to reduce negative impacts on the ecosystem.

September

On September 25, the fire grew to 114,104 acres with 20% containment. 44 engines, 28 crews, 68 heavy equipment, and 9 helicopters were staffed for fire suppression.

October

On October 27, the fire grew to 127,283 acres with 60% containment. Due to temperatures dropping and humidity rising, fire progression reduced drastically. 4 engines, 2 crews, 1 helicopter, and 2 masticators were staffed for fire suppression. Closures had reduced on the Deschutes National Forest and

. Air quality ranged from good to moderate within the forecasted area. Lane County, Oregon, Lane County evacuations had been lifted.

Impacts

Smoke from the Cedar Creek Fire that blew into

, to the north, caused the city to record the worst air quality of any major city in the world. Smoke also blew into the Eugene, Oregon, Eugene area.

Fire progression and containment

References

External links

* {{Oregon wildfires 2022 Oregon wildfires 2022 in Washington (state) 2022 Washington (state) wildfires Wildfires in Washington (state) Wildfires in Oregon