The McKenzie River is one of Lane County’s gems.
It is a place where we raft, fish, hike and gaze in awe at its crystal clear waters and tree-line shores. The drift boat was conceived to ply its icy waters, and the area is full of history and characters. It’s a place people decided to make their homes and livelihoods.
And sadly, it is a place where I have seen the unimaginable impact of the Holiday Farm Fire and its destructive march along the lower McKenzie.
I was one of two journalists escorted by Oregon Department of Forestry public information officers up Highway 126 to Nimrod on Thursday.
The devastation is shocking and numbing.
Burned out vehicles destroyed by the Holiday Farm Fire sit outside a shop in Nimrod, Ore. Andy Nelson/Register-Guard/poolAP
For many who live along the river, the losses will be severe and the grief profound. For those of us who love to visit the river, the landscape is altered in ways that are yet to become clear.
But I saw first-hand the catastrophic effects of the fire on the land and structures along the McKenzie River and the capricious nature of the blaze as it raced eastward.
Our trip was short and visibility often was limited to a few hundred yards because of thick smoke, giving just an overview of the fire’s impact.
After leaving Springfield, we crossed a roadblock manned by Lane County sheriff’s deputies at Walterville that keeps the road clear except for firefighters and other essential personnel.
The Goodpasture Bridge has survived the Holiday Farm Fire near Leaburg, Oregon. Andy Nelson/Register-Guard/poolAndy Nelson/The Register-Guard via pool
ODF Public Information Officer Marcus Kauffman emphasized that the trees in the burn area along the Highway 126 corridor are likely to be unstable and hazardous, and rockfall also is prevalent. It is not uncommon for trees to fall well after a fire because the trees' insides have burned out or because the soil has become unstable. We drove around several downed trees including one that was at least three feet in diameter.
Heading east, the smoke began to thicken substantially after Leaburg. Through the haze, it appeared some familiar landmarks along this stretch of highway, like the Organic Redneck Growers Farm and small filbert orchards, are undamaged.
Rounding the bend at Leaburg Lake, the dam is open, the lake is drained and the McKenzie River is flowing through the lake. Geese rested on the exposed land. It is an extraordinary site.
According to EWEB spokesman Joe Harwood, the dam was opened to protect it from debris flows caused by the fire. The thick smoke makes it impossible to see across the lake to the opposite bank to assess any potential fire impacts.
Although we did not see it, our escorts told us the Leaburg Hatchery has been spared. The community has fought hard in recent years to keep open the hatchery that attracts more than 70,000 visitors a year. Near the end of Leaburg Lake, Ike’s Lakeside Pizza stands undamaged.
One of the most recognizable landmarks along the McKenzie River, the Goodpasture Bridge, emerged from the haze and appeared unscathed to the naked eye. The bridge, built in 1938, is on the National Register of Historic Places and is a favorite stopping point for visitors.
Entering Vida, Everyone’s Market, Vida Cafe and other structures along the highway are intact. We were unable to see more than a half mile so we couldn’t assess any impacts in the surrounding hills.
As we left Vida, the destruction began to intensify. There are structures that have been lost and burned out vehicles were visible.
Public information officer Brian Richardson inspects a burned out vehicle outside a shop in Nimrod, Oregon. Andy Nelson/Register-Guard/poolAndy Nelson/The Register-Guard via pool
The filberts at the historic Filacres farm stand in their long rows but the smoke blurs any view to the stately white home along the river.
Ben and Kay Dorris Park, a popular take-out point for rafters on the McKenzie River, was heavily burned over. Darkened trunks stood silhouetted in the smoke. The sign to the park entrance sits on the ground toppled by the flames. Trees are blocking the road leading into the park and down to the river.
As we continued east, some homes look untouched, but there are many where chimneys stand as ghostly sentinels over burned down homes.
Familiar landmarks along the road — businesses, cabins, homes — are no longer there. It’s disorienting and heartbreaking.
Our final stop was at Blue River Services Center, where burned -out vehicles sit outside the shop. A puddle of molten metal is evidence of the intensity of the fire as it swept though the area.
Heading back toward the Incident Command Post in Springfield, it is impossible to not think of the the people and communities who are affected by the fire.
For those whose homes are now gone, and even for those that remain, the beautiful clear, cold water of the river still will be there. But there is no doubt the long road to recovery and rebuilding is just beginning.
Photographer Andy Nelson of the Register Guard, anelson@registerguard.com, was allowed behind the fire lines as the media pool.
The sign for Ben and Kay Dorris Park was toppled by the Holiday Farm fire and the park sustained substantial damage near Vida, Oregon on September, 10, 2020. (Pool photo by Andy Nelson)Andy Nelson/The Register-Guard via pool
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