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PHOTOS: Aumsville residents prepare for evacuation as Santiam Canyon wildfires continue burning

Scott Johnson and wife Mindy discuss their imminent evacuation from their home in Aumsville on Tuesday, September 8. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)

The sky in Aumsville shifted from burnt orange to a dark red on Tuesday, as residents prepared to possibly leave their homes. A wildfire raging through the Santiam Canyon had grown, rapidly overnight displacing 5,000 people. Residents of Aumsville worried they would be next. The Marion County Sheriff’s Office instructed residents to be ready and set to evacuate should the blaze spread further. 

-Jake Thomas 

Cascade High School in Aumsville on Tuesday, September 8. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)

Dawn and Doug Stidd pack up their vehicle with possessions in anticipation of evacuating if the wildfires progressed in Aumsville on Tuesday, September 8. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)

Jason Roebke helps son Cole Fisher secure a motorbike in the back of a pick-up truck in preparation of evacuating in Aumsville on Tuesday, September 8. The group intended to go to Brooks and stay with family. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)

Bryan Crenshaw sprays water onto his rooftop in Aumsville on Tuesday, September 8. After losing two buildings to a wildfire three years ago, Crenshaw planned on staying through this time to protect his property. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)

Grace Schaan, Jordan St. Clair and Jim Slater discuss their evacuation plans in Aumsville on Tuesday, September 8. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)

Virginia Brockman talks on the phone in Aumsville after loading up valuable and sentimental possessions to go to Salem for safekeeping on Tuesday, September 8. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)

A sprinkler waters a field amidst wildfire smoke in Aumsville on Tuesday, September 8. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)

Jake Johnson, left, stands outside with wife Delana, second from right, and sons Blake and Dylan Shadrick and brother-in-law Patrick Wilson in Sublimity on Tuesday, September 8. The family, along with neighbors from four other properties intended on staying at home as long as possible to protect their property from the wildfires. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)

Dalton Marcle, 16, prepares for a potential evacuation after loading up three goats and one pig in Aumsville on Tuesday, September 8. Marcle intended to leave Aumsville if the evacuation level was raised to a three. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)

Wildfire smoke along Main Street in Aumsville on Tuesday, September 8. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)

An on-ramp to Highway 22 East is blocked off at the Sublimity exit on Tuesday, September 8. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)

RELATED COVERAGE:

‘These fires will continue to be on the rampage’ – Dry conditions coupled with an unexpectedly strong wind scorch Santiam Canyon overnight

The latest on the Santiam Canyon wildfires: Who’s evacuating, where to get help

PHOTOS: Smoke blankets the Salem area, casting an apocalyptic glow

 Fleeing wildfires, families wait for news at Oregon State Fairgrounds in Salem

Marion County declares state of emergency due to spreading wildfires

Spreading wildfire prompts evacuation of Santiam Canyon communities

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