Four Oregon campgrounds evacuated for wildfire danger

Four Oregon campgrounds were evacuated in Douglas County on Monday. A wildfire, dubbed the Lemolo Fire, prompted the “get-out” orders. The Lemolo Fire is just one part of the vast Diamond Complex fire chewing through parts of the Umpqua National Forest.

These four Oregon campgrounds evacuated

The four campgrounds that received evacuation orders are:

• Bunker Hill Campground
• Lemolo KOA Campground
• Poole Creek Campground/Boat ramp
• Kelsay Valley Campground

Another campground was put under a Level 2, “Be Set,” evacuation warning. That warning says, “People who need help or more time to evacuate — people with disabilities, people with small children, people with medical conditions, and people with large animals — should evacuate.”

Partial reprieve granted today

Earlier this morning, two of the four campgrounds initially ordered to clear out got a reprieve, of sorts. Officials moved both the Pool Creek Campground and the KOA operation back to Level 2, “Be Set.” Regardless of the change, KOA has posted that it will remain closed until Friday.

The Diamond Complex fire is creating a logistics nightmare for wildfire managers. Jon Larson, Operation Section Chief for the Interagency Incident Management Northwest Team 7, says firefighting resources went to the Lemolo fire on Saturday. However, it isn’t the only fire requiring attention in Douglas county.

“As of right now, we know of 12 fires that we’re trying to manage and we have to prioritize based on what those critical values are,” Larson told local media.

As of this morning, 3% of the Lemolo Fire’s 3,021-acre spread had been contained.

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