The city of Molalla were ordered to evacuate Thursday afternoon, along with areas east of Highway 213 — within about three miles of Canby — including parts of Beavercreek, Union Mills, Carus and Mulino.
Canby and Oregon City were upgraded to level 2 around the same time — about 1:30 p.m. — which technically means be prepared to leave at a moment’s notice.
But Canby Fire Chief Jim Davis told the Current earlier this week that residents should evacuate at level 2 if possible to mitigate the risk of traffic jams and other issues in the event of a level 3 evac.
“This is not over — by a long shot,” Canby Fire Division Chief English told The Canby Current shortly before the new evacuation orders were issued.
English had just returned home from serving on the front lines of the fires raging across the Molalla area.
He later explained that the increasingly dangerous fire and weather conditions Thursday were what prompted the new wave of evacuations.
“We sometimes call it the ‘burn period,’ which is in when fires can spread the most rapidly,” English said. “The sky is clearing a bit, sun is coming out and the conditions will be ripe for things to reignite.”
The inferno around Estacada has been classified as a “plume-dominated fire,” English said, which is a fire that becomes hot enough to generate convective force and influence the wind field around it.
The air quality in Canby was the worst that has been seen throughout the wildfire crisis, residents reported.
Neighbors up and down the street had begun to pack belongings into vehicles, resident Gavin Coble told the Current on Twitter.
Clackamas County was hosting a wildfire press briefing at 3 p.m. Thursday afternoon. Tune into the YouTube live stream or watch on Facebook Live.
For the latest evacuation orders, see the Clackamas County evacuation live map.
Where to Go
Clackamas Community College, 19600 Molalla Ave., Oregon City
– American Red Cross vacuation check-in site
– Sites for tent camping and RVs; limited shelter space in the gym
Oregon City High School, 19761 S. Beavercreek Road, Oregon City
– Check in at CCC
– Limited shelter space in gym
Clackamas Town Center, 12000 SE 82nd Ave., Happy Valley
– Northeast area of parking lot available for RVs only
– Contact security at 503-653-6962 for check-in
Oregon Conference Headquarters of Seventh-day Adventists, 19800 Oatfield Rd., Gladstone
– RVs only
Milwaukie-Portland Elks Lodge #142, 1312 SE McLoughlin Blvd., Oak Grove
– RV and tent sites available
More information about evacuation and check-in sites on Clackamas County’s website.
