Riverside, Beachie Creek, Lionshead wildfires still burning, 536,096 acres destroyed

Posted October 2020

By Sergio Valles

Staff Editor

Despite cooler temperatures and rain in mid October, the Riverside, Beachie Creek, and Lionshead Fires have ravaged at least 536,096 acres of land in Clackamas County and neighboring areas.

The Riverside Fire is 72% contained. It has burned at least 138,000 acres, according to InciWeb, all in Clackamas County, which led the county to be on evacuation notice. Of the 500,000 Oregonians on evacuation notice, 40,000 had to evacuate their homes due to their area being on a "Level 3 Go”, meaning the danger is current or imminent.

“More than 40,000 Oregonians have been evacuated," Governor Kate Brown stated at the time.

The fire started on Sept. 8 about half a mile southeast of Estacada. Its 72% containment means that the fire has stopped spreading, but is still burning. When a fire that is "under control" firefighters have made the area safe, but have not completely stopped the spreading of the fire.

The Beachie Creek Fire is 85% contained. It has burned at least 193,000 acres, according to InciWeb. It is on the Clackamas County border, contributing to the smoke that filled the air and the evacuation notices for all of Clackamas County.

The fire started on Aug. 16, two miles south of Jawbone Flats.

“[The Beachie Creek Fire has] destroyed a collective 1,288 structures, including 470 homes," stated the Statesman Journal.

The city hardest hit during these wildfires was Detroit, due to the Lionshead fire.

“It looks as though a bomb went off,'' said resident Elizabeth Smith to KATU-TV.

The Idanha-Detroit Rural Fire Protection District said on Facebook that approximately 20-25 buildings still stand and the rest are gone. The Lionshead Fire, 46% contained, has burned at least 204,469 acres, according to InciWeb due to lightning striking the land. The historic windstorm on Sept. 7, rapidly spread to the Willamette, Deschutes, and Mt. Hood National Forests. The Lionshead Fire destroyed 264 Detroit homes and impacted the communities of the Santiam drainage and Breitenbush areas.

The Riverside and Beachie Creek Fires are estimated to be fully contained by Oct. 31, while the Lionshead Fire is expected to be contained on Oct, 30. The fires were greatly diminished when the weather finally gave Portlanders and the surrounding cities rain which profusely helped firefighters stop the spreading.