Terwillinger Wildfire in OR Quickly Growing

BLUE RIVER — A forest fire east of Eugene-Springfield has burned over Terwilliger Hot Springs, long a haven for clothing-optional relaxation seekers, federal officials confirmed Wednesday.

Before the fire, which started Sunday, lush woods surrounded the naturally heated soaking pools, popularly known as Cougar Hot Springs. What the scene looks like now remains unknown.

"At this time, it's not safe to send anybody in there to even assess what's going on," said Sharma Chavez, spokeswoman for the interagency team managing the Terwilliger Fire. "There's a lot of trees coming down, so snags falling ... . They're finding a lot of rock and trees across the road. The fire fight is more of a priority than assessments, at this point."

Earlier Wednesday, Jennifer Velez, another spokeswoman with the firefighting team, confirmed flames had spread around the hot springs. "We do know the fire burned through that area," she said.

A map released Wednesday by the Willamette National Forest indicated the Terwilliger Fire had burned completely around the pools.

The Willamette National Forest released updated figures Wednesday, and the fire jumped 10 fold in size from earlier reports. The fire had charred 1,248 acres — nearly 2 square miles — according to the latest update, up from around 125 acres. The larger figure came as the result of better mapping, Chavez said.

"They weren't able to get an accurate reading until (Tuesday) night from an infrared flight," Chavez said, "so the dramatic increase wasn't just a blowup in a day or so, it was more of a cumulative effect over the last couple of days."

The fire started Sunday afternoon about an eighth of a mile north of the hot springs, which are off Aufderheide Drive, also known as Forest Road 19. The scenic byway winds through national forestland between highways 126 and 58.

The first report of the fire came in at 3:21 p.m. Sunday from someone visiting the Terwilliger Hot Springs area, Velez said. She didn't know whether the forest visitor was headed to or from the hot springs. A flood of other calls rfeporting the fire followed.

About 20 people were visiting the hot springs when the fire began, Robert Noble, a Springfield man, told The Register-Guard. Noble and his 10-year-old son, Parker, sprinted a quarter mile from the pools to the parking lot on Aufderheide after being told to evacuate. Robert Noble said they ran past flames and through thick smoke to escape.

"I'm certain (the hot springs) got demolished," he said.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation, Velez said. Investigators are also looking into how fire erupted on both sides of Cougar Lake.

The U.S. Forest Service had 195 firefighters assigned to the Terwilliger Fire on Wednesday. That included five 20-person hand crews, seven fire engines, six water tenders, three bulldozers and two helicopters, Chavez said.

The team's goal is "full suppression" of the fire, she said.

"That means that we will make every effort to suppress it with the smallest footprint, as safely as possible to the boots on the ground," she said.

The Willamette National Forest has closed five campgrounds and a long list of trails, as well as U.S. Forest Service roads, due to the fire. South of Highway 126, the closure begins where Forest Service Road 19 intersects with Forest Service Road 1900-408 and continues south to the Rebel Trailhead.

"We understand this is a disappointment to residents and visitors who patiently waited for the road to reopen after the December 2017 landslide, but unfortunately, the risk is too great," Forest Supervisor Tracy Beck said in a statement. "Our highest responsibility must be visitor and firefighter safety."

The landslide blocked the easiest access to Terwilliger Hot Springs from Eugene-Springfield for months, with the national forest opening the road in late July. The road than closed again Sunday and will remain closed for the foreseeable future.

Firefighters don't have a target containment date, but a prolonged hot and dry spell could make the fire grow, according to the Willamette National Forest.

A change toward cooler weather this weekend could help firefighters at the Terwilliger Fire, Chavez said.

"It'll moderate fire behavior, which will give firefighters and crews just that much more of an upper hand," she said. "And as winds shift it also could move smoke out of the area, which would allow us to use aviation more."

Follow Dylan Darling on Twitter @DylanJDarling. Email [email protected].

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