EUGENE, California — Firefighters battling the Cedar Creek Fire are praying for rain this weekend, and hopefully just the right amount of it. The approaching rainy weather is expected to be the beginning of the end for the Cedar Creek Fire, which has been burning west of Oakridge since being started by a lightning strike Aug. 1. With the rain could come a cooling of the fire interior, a reduction in smoky conditions affecting swaths of Oregon and firefighter resources beginning to demobilize. Fire managers are “cautiously optimistic” the rain expected to come as early as Friday will be a soaking, “season ending” rain, according to Eric Hendrickson. …The Cedar Creek Fire was an estimated 126,690 acres Thursday and was 50% contained with 555 people assigned to it. …Because fire activity in the fire’s interior is still high, Knudsen said smoke may continue affecting the area for a while.