A slight haze was in the air Thursday afternoon at Crater Lake National Park/NPS webcam

Though there are no wildfires on the doorstep of Crater Lake National Park, officials there have asked visitors and employees to be ready for evacuating the park located in southwestern Oregon if necessary.

Park officials issued a Level 1 Evacuation Notice for the entire park effective at noon on Thursday. The Level 1 notice informs residents and visitors to “be ready” for a potential evacuation, including those housed in employee dormitories and trailer sites, in the event that a fire approaches these areas. Current or projected threats from nearby fires indicate that there may be a need to evacuate in the future; however, there are no mandatory evacuations at this time, a park release said.

There are three evacuation notice levels: Level 1 “BE READY” for potential evacuation; Level 2 “BE SET” to evacuate; and Level 3 “GO” evacuate now. This is the time for preparation and precautionary movement of persons with special needs, mobile property, and pets. If conditions worsen, emergency services personnel may contact employees and visitors an emergency notification system. In the event that occurs, the park will make every attempt to contact visitors and residents personally. If you are absent from your residence, lodging room, campsite, or vehicle for more than a short time, you are asked to leave a note with your name and a contact telephone number in a door or window where it can be easily seen.

Residents and park visitors will be advised as conditions change and are encouraged to check the park website (www.nps.gov/crla), Facebook, or Twitter for current status and updates.  Fire information is also available at the two entrance stations and on information boards located around the park.  

While there is not currently a fire in the park, park officials said there are several reasons for the implementation of this notice.

• Fire danger is extremely high, with very low humidity and exceptionally dry conditions after long periods of high temperatures with no precipitation.
• There is an extreme shortage of firefighting resources because of numerous fires throughout the West and Northwest. Should a fire start in the park, outside resources may be difficult to obtain.
• The egress in and out of the park is impacted by nearby fires and road closures and could be further reduced as conditions change.

Park visitors and residents are not at risk at this time. While the fires have resulted in road closures outside of the park, roads within the park remain open with the exception of the Pinnacles Road, which has been closed due to the threat of falling trees.

On September 8 the park implemented a ban on all wood and charcoal fires.