Crews quickly contain small wildfire in La Pine; all Newberry Estates evacuation levels dropped
Barney Lerten
(Update: Adding video, fire contained)
La PINE, Ore. (KTVZ) — A new fire broke out late Wednesday afternoon on the east side of La Pine and prompted a quick Level 2 BE SET evacuation alert for a neighborhood, later reduced to Level 1 BE READY as crews contained the blaze.
The fire was reported fully contained by late Wednesday night, at just over an acre, and around 11:30 a.m. Thursday came this update from the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office: “With continued success of fire operations and improved conditions, the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office is dropping all evacuation levels for yesterday’s fire in the area of the 17100 block of Rosland Road in La Pine.”
Shortly before 7 p.m. Wednesday, the sheriff’s office said: “Firefighting crews responded in force and controlled the fire quickly. The fire has been significantly reduced and fire crews have begun the “clean-up” phase. The initial investigation determined the unconfirmed source was likely a smoldering lightning strike from late yesterday. Evacuations have been reduced to Level 1: Level 1 means “BE READY for potential evacuation.” There is a fire in your local area.”
“DCSO is also standing down the temporary community evacuation center at the La Pine High School and the La Pine Rodeo Grounds for the large animals. Normal traffic can resume in the area. Please avoid any remaining firefighting activity.”
Here’s an earlier fact sheet on the fire, Incident 255, from officials, issued Wednesday evening:
Start Date: June 11 at 1630 p.m.
Location: La Pine, 1-2 miles north of Rosland Road
Jurisdiction: Prineville District BLM
Fire Size: Approximately 1.5 acres
Cause: Under Investigation
Fuels: Grass, brush, timber
Containment: Dozer line and hoselay in place, working towards containment
Structures: Structures threatened, Level 2 evacuations (reduced to Level 1) can be found at www.deschutes.org/emergency
Fire Crews/Resources: Interagency fire crews are suppressing the new wildfire start with the following resources: 5 engines, 2 hand crews, 1 dozer, and overhead on scene. Response efforts include coordinators from Central Oregon District ODF, Post-Paulina RFPA and The Nature Conservancy.
Visit the official source for wildfire information in Central Oregon at centraloregonfire.org for wildfire updates or follow fire information on X/Twitter @CentralORfire. Call 9-1-1 to report a wildfire. For smoke and air quality information visit fire.airnow.gov.
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The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office issued the Level 2 BE SET to evacuate notice for homes in the Newberry Estates community after a fire broke out, sending up smoke east of Highway 97 near Gordy’s Truck Stop. It was lowered around 6:30 p.m. to Level 1 BE READY – here’s where to see the map: www.deschutes.org/emergency.
Incident 255, reported shortly before 5 p.m. near the 17100 block of Rosland Road, was initially estimated at 3/4 of an acre, with a moderate rate of spread. Winds were pushing the fire to the east. Watch Duty said it was estimated at 1.25 acres around 5:30 p.m. by the National Interagency Fire Center.
Deschutes County Level 1 BE READY evacuation zone at Whispering Pines
No plume, just haze was visible when a KTVZ News crew arrived in La Pine.
We will have updates as we get them, on the air and online.