The Herald — Lightning struck several areas around the Shadow Bay campground at Waldo Lake early this morning. Many campers were awakened by the thunder and crashing. Reports from people who were camping on the “D” Loop indicated that as they were fleeing, branches and fire was beginning to fall all around. As the campers were leaving, firefighting personnel passed them on their way to meet the fire head-on.
Fires started in the treetops immediately
“The lightning was striking the tops of the trees, immediately setting them on fire” reported Oakridge resident Steve Saxon. Several of his family members had been camping at Waldo the night before and had safely returned to Oakridge to report the harrowing event.
Before this morning’s event, campers said that the smoke from the Cedar Creek Fire had been blowing generally north to northeast and affected their camping very little. Some days, depending on the winds, Waldo Lake would be quite smoke-free.
Rain came as well
It was reported that rain was also falling during the morning storm. Hopefully, the moisture will minimize the spread of yet another fire.
George Custer lives in Oakridge with his wife Sayre. George is a former smokejumper from his hometown of Cave Junction, a former captain in the U.S. Marine Corps. and ran a construction company in Southern California. George assumed the volunteer duties as the Editor of the Highway 58 Herald in 2022. He loves riding his Harley-Davidson motorcycle, building all things wood, and playing drums on the weekends in his office.
