BEAVERCREEK, Ore. — Editor's note: The video above was published Friday while evacuation levels were still in effect.
Near the corner of Upper Highland and Lower Highland Roads in the Beavercreek area in rural Clackamas County, a more than 30-acre wildfire kept both firefighters and crews from a correctional facility busy Friday, putting fire lines around the flames.
"It's basically a line down to mineral soil to help stop the progression of the fire," said Jessica Prakke of the Oregon Department of Forestry.
Prakke said the fire flared up as a brush fire on Thursday and then moved into a little bit of timber and small trees. This left officials no choice but to issue evacuation notices to people living within a half mile of the fire.
The size of the fire isn't overwhelming, but it's big enough to draw attention, especially so early in the year and before the start of the traditional wildfire season.
As of Saturday morning, the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office had lifted all evacuation levels around the fire. Officials had previously issued both Level 1 and Level 2 evacuation notices in the area as a precaution while the fire was still growing.
"Our biggest thing right now is we want to urge Oregonians to not become complacent when it comes to wildfire prevention," Prakke said.
The month of May brought record levels of hot and dry conditions in the Portland area. With the summer months still ahead, the region can expect even hotter and dryer conditions still on the way, which means just about everything can become kindling for a fire.
"We're beefing up our staff right now," Prakke said. "All of our new firefighters will go into fire school later this month."
Prakke said fire crews are fully prepared for whatever summer brings, including the pre-summer wildfire burning in Beavercreek.
"ODF is always ready to fight fire," Prakke said.
Prakke said crews will monitor this fire for hotspots through the weekend. Investigators have not yet determined a cause.