Vitae Springs grass fire in South Salem contained, evacuation levels reduced

Zach Urness Brian Hayes Bill Poehler
Salem Statesman Journal

Story updated at 12:16 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 11:

Evacuation orders were reduced effective noon on Sunday. Residences in unincorporated Marion County are on level 2 (get set to leave immediately) and Marion County residents are on level 1 (be ready to leave). All Polk County areas are no longer on an evacuation advisory.

The fire remained contained overnight but will still produce smoke for an extended period, according to a press release from the Marion County Sheriff's Office. Fire crews are still assisting Salem Fire Department.

The following areas are still under an evacuation advisory:

A level 2 evacuation, meaning “get set to go at any moment":

  • Vitae Springs Road between Skyline Road S to River Road
  • West side of Skyline Road from Vitae Springs Road to Cole Road S
  • Orville Road S
  • Riversprings Road to Prospect Ridge

A level 1 evacuation, meaning “be ready to go":

  • Marion County:
    • River Road S at Sawmill Road
    • Sawmill Road S
    • South side of Ballyntyne Road S
    • Stonehill Avenue S
    • Jory Hill Road S west of Elmhurst Avenue S
    • Elmhurst Avenue S to Nehalem Street S
    • Cole Road S west of Bates Road S
    • West side of Bates Road S to Bunker Hill Road S including the Chinook Estates neighborhood
    • Bunker Hill Road S to Riverside Drive S
    • Riverside Drive S from River Road S to Sidney Road S
    • West side of Sidney Road S to Buena Vista Road S

The Judson Middle School evacuee resource center will close on Sunday. Anyone with livestock at the Oregon State Fairgrounds can work with county official on next steps.

Story updated at 5:15 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 11:

Firefighters spent a second night battling the estimated 124-acre Vitae Springs Fire in what was described as a densely populated, heavily forested area of rugged terrain south of Salem.

Three 20-person contract hand crews were expected to Sunday start hiking along cliffs and valleys to find and dig out fire spots. The fire was declared 100% contained Saturday, though still burning inside the boundary, according to a press release.

Evacuation orders remained in place overnight with winds predicted to be shifting. Approximately 119 residences in unincorporated Marion County were on level 3 (leave immediately) and another 516 in Marion and Polk Counties were on level 2 (get set to leave immediately).

The Vitae Springs Fire, estimated at 124 acres, is burning in what was described as a densely populated, heavily forested area of rugged terrain south of Salem.

Salem Deputy Chief Reed Godfrey said he expected the fire would be staffed through Sunday into Monday.

No injuries or structure losses have been reported since the fire was reporting about 4 p.m. Friday in a grass field in the 4000 block of Vitae Springs Road. Salem Fire officials said they didn’t yet know how the fire started.

Some 40 pieces of equipment staffed by two to five people each worked the blaze on Saturday. Firefighters were supported by more than 20 agencies who responded to calls for mutual aid, 19 off-duty Salem firefighters who voluntarily offered to staff reserve apparatus in the event other fires occurred, and Salem Police who used drones to map the fire. 

Planes dip into the Willamette River for water to drop on the Vitae Springs fire on Saturday, Sept. 10, 2022 in Salem, Ore.

Godfrey said grass fire apparatus and planes provided through the Oregon State Fire Marshall have been vital because of the extreme fire danger due to hot and dry east winds.

“Because of them, we were able to limit the size of the fire,” Godfrey said. 

Fire units from Salem and beyond respond to a fire near Vitae Springs Road South and Skyline Drive South in Salem on Friday.

According to Marion County, aircraft on Saturday were set to form a retardant line around the perimeter while ground crews worked on mopping up hot spots.

Power was preemptively shut down Friday to about 40,000 Oregon households, mainly in the foothills and mountains on the edges of the Willamette Valley where there was concern that winds could knock down power lines and live lines could start fires. Utilities started restoring power Saturday afternoon.

Evacuations ordered

The Marion County Sheriff’s Office issued multiple evacuations for homes near the fire.

A level 3 evacuation, meaning “go now,” remains in effect for about 119 homes within these areas:

  • Vitae Springs Road between Skyline Road South to River Road.
  • West side of Skyline Road from Vitae Springs Road to Cole Road South.
  • Orville Road South.
  • Riversprings Road to Prospect Ridge.

A gathering point for evacuees has been established at Judson Middle School, 4512 Jones Road SE.

People are asked to avoid the area, though River Road between Salem and Independence is open to cars.

A level 2 evacuation, meaning “get set to go at any moment,” remained in effect for 516 homes in these areas of Marion and Polk counties:

Marion County:

  • River Road S at Sawmill Road.
  • Sawmill Road South.
  • South side of Ballyntyne Road South.
  • Stonehill Ave South.
  • Jory Hill Road South west of Elmhurst Avenue South.
  • Elmhurst Avenue South to Nehalem Street South.
  • Cole Road South west of Bates Road South.
  • West side of Bates Road South to Bunker Hill Road South including the Chinook Estates neighborhood.
  • Bunker Hill Road South to Riverside Drive South.
  • Riverside Drive South from River Road South to Sidney Road South.
  • West side of Sidney Road South to Buena Vista Road South.

Polk County:

  • East of Corvallis Road from the Independence Bridge to Davidson Road.
  • North of Davidson Road and Wigrich Road east to the Willamette River.

Salem officials said that some level 3 evacuations would likely stay in place through the weekend.

“Property owners with livestock in the evacuation area should contact officials on site at Judson Middle School for assistance,” a news release said. “Marion County Emergency Management is coordinating with local partners to secure locations to take livestock while evacuations remain in place.”

Marion County Sheriff's Office has issued a Level 3 - go now - evacuation order for the area in red, and a Level 2 - be set to evauate - order for the area in yellow due to the Vitae Springs Road fire on Friday, Sept. 9, 2022.

Marion County Emergency Management said in a Facebook post that 13 residents in the Vitae Springs Fire came to the Red Cross shelter at Judson Middle School.

There were 12 dogs, 10 rabbits, seven cats and one lizard that came to Judson.

Two alpacas, four goats, two sheep, nine chickens, two ducks, and one horse were being sheltered at the Marion County Fairgrounds.

Getting out in a hurry

Many residents were notified of the evacuations Friday afternoon by text and/or a phone call.

Sheriff’s Office deputies went door to door in some areas evacuating people, including along Riverside South.

Eric Andersen, who lives off Riverside Drive, said he was home when an officer “came by in a hurry and said it was a level 3 evacuation and I should get out now.”

“I’d gotten a call about 10 minutes before from somebody I know who has connections with the fire department who said there was a fire somewhere and we might be asked to leave,” he said. “I guess I’ll just go over to my daughter’s house in Independence for a while.”

Saul Cortes lives on Riverside Drive. He said he saw the smoke while out on a run.

“I hopped in my car and went to Skyline to check,” he said. “That’s when I saw it over near the cell towers.”

He said neighbors began texting each other that they might need to evacuate and shortly after a Sheriff’s Office deputy and then the fire department each showed up and told them they needed to get out now.

“I just grabbed my passports, important documents, an extra set of clothes and Macbook, my iPad, iPhone and said, ‘We gotta go,’” he said. “We’re headed over to a friend’s house.”

Previous fire in the Vitae Springs area

This fire would be the second significant brush fire in as many years in the area.

On Sept. 13, 2021, a car cash ignited a 15-acre fire in the Vitae Springs neighborhood. Evacuation orders were issued but the fire was quelled after a six-hour fight and no homes were lost.

Salem officials told the Statesman Journal previously that the area has “large swaths of grass and trees, which provides fuel for a potential fire. When this brush is left largely unkempt, as was the case with the Vitae Springs Fire, it is especially susceptible to a spark.”  

The day South Salem almost ignitedUrban wildfires growing in Oregon, Willamette Valley

“Near Vitae Springs there was a field that was very dry and that wasn’t necessarily the best maintained,” Greg Walsh, Salem’s Emergency manager, told the Statesman Journal last year. “Outdoor spaces that are not well maintained and a lack of defensible space are some of the main issues we run into.”

Zach Urness has been an outdoors reporter in Oregon for 15 years and is host of the Explore Oregon Podcast. To support his work, subscribe to the Statesman Journal. Urness is the author of “Best Hikes with Kids: Oregon” and “Hiking Southern Oregon.” He can be reached at zurness@StatesmanJournal.com or (503) 399-6801. Find him on Twitter at @ZachsORoutdoors