Elk Fire in Klamath County prompts Level 3 ‘Go Now’ evacuations, Conflagration Act declaration

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — The Elk Fire in Klamath County has prompted Oregon state officials to invoke the Emergency Conflagration Act after Level 3 ‘Go Now’ evacuation levels were issued.

This comes after the fire sparked Tuesday morning, grew rapidly to hundreds of acres, and is threatening homes and infrastructure. There are also currently levels 1, 2 and 3 evacuation notices in place for people living near the fire, which is located about eight miles north of Bonanza.

High heat and dry conditions in the coming days have also prompted the National Weather Service to issue a Red Flag Warning for the area through Wednesday evening.

“This latest round of lightning and continued dry conditions in Southern Oregon has kept the Oregon fire service and our wildland partners extremely busy,” said Oregon State Fire Marshal Mariana Ruiz-Temple, in a statement. “The extended forecast is not going to provide any relief. Please pay attention to our critical wildfire conditions and take the necessary steps to prevent sparking a human-caused fire.”

According to the State of Oregon Fires and Hotspots Dashboard, the Elk Fire was listed as 840 acres as of 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday.

An evacuation shelter has been set up by the American Red Cross at Living Springs Church at 31897 Mission Street, Bonanza, OR 97623.

The Genasys Protect site has more information about the latest evacuations. In addition, the South Central Oregon Fire Management Partnership Facebook page has information regarding fire updates.