15-acre brush fire contained SE of Prineville

(Update: Fire destroyed vehicle; cause under investigation)

Firefighters spent a few hours containing a 15-acre brush fire that broke out in Juniper Canyon southeast of Prineville and prompted evacuation of three homes and warnings to several others Saturday afternoon.

Crews were called to the brush fire, Incident No. 599, shortly before 3 p.m. and arrived to find several homes threatened. Three homes were evacuated and several others were put on alert, officials said.

Five engines from Central Oregon Fire Management Service joined three from Crook County Fire & Rescue and a BLM hand crew to tackle the fire, burning in grass and brush. A Type 1 water-dropping helicopter was assisting crews on the ground, officials said.

Crook County Fire Chief Matt Smith told NewsChannel 21 around 6:15 p.m. they believed they were getting the upper hand on the blaze, and COFMS reported less than an hour later that it had been fully contained, with mop-up underway.

One vehicle was destroyed by the fire, officials said, adding that the cause of the fire was under investigation.