Cougar Peak Fire over 25,000 acres, 0% containment

LAKE COUNTY, Ore. – A wildfire that was first discovered Tuesday in the Lakeview Ranger District reached over 20,000 acres in size.

The Forest Service said the Cougar Peak Fire was found at about 1:45 p.m. on September 7 approximately 15 miles northwest of Lakeview and about 1.5 miles east of Cottonwood Campground. By 4:30 p.m., it was estimated to be 60 acres in size and growing rapidly. An evening update sent out just before 10:00 p.m. put the fire at about 1,500 acres.

By noon Wednesday, fire managers estimated the fire was more than 3,200 acres in size. An update sent at about 10:00 p.m. put the fire at 20,000 acres.

Thursday morning, the fire was estimated to be 25,000 acres in size with 0% containment.

On Wednesday, Oregon Governor Kate Brown declared the fire a conflagration, which allows state resources to be deployed to help fight the Cougar Peak Fire.

Crews on the ground are being supported by numerous air resources, including three heavy air tankers and three helicopters. The Oregon State Fire Marshal’s Blue Incident Management Team and four task forces were mobilized to help fight the Cougar Peak Fire. The Paisley Volunteer Fire Department and other Lake County fire agencies are assisting with structure protection.

Smoke is highly visible in the area and drivers are asked to use caution.

Cottonwood Campground was evacuated and recreation sites in the area were closed due to the fire.

Visit https://www.lakecountyor.org/ for the latest evacuation map.

For more details, visit https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7835/