Smoke from the East Evans Creek Fire, located about 26 miles north of Medford, crept its way into Lane County on Wednesday, July 15, and down the Willamette Valley toward Portland.
The fire, which started Friday afternoon, has ballooned to over 7,500 acres as the winds continue to fan the flames, making it the largest wildfire of this season. Gov. Tina Kotek invoked Oregon’s Emergency Conflagration Act shortly after it started, mobilizing firefighters — including those based out of the Eugene and Springfield area — from across the state to contain the blaze.
High atmospheric winds are blowing smoke north down the Willamette Valley as far as Portland and Vancouver, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Hannah Chandler-Cooley…