Juniper Fire, sparked by Hwy. 97 vehicle fire at Juniper Butte, declared fully contained after burning 628 acres
(Update: Fire declared 100% contained Friday)
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) – A vehicle fire along U.S. Highway 97 at Juniper Butte sparked a wind-fanned brush fire Wednesday afternoon that quickly grew to more than 600 acres, closed a six-mile stretch of the highway between Redmond and Madras for hours, prompted evacuations and brought a major air and ground fire attack that got a line around the blaze.
Friday afternoon, after days of strong progress and less heat and wind, officials declared it 100% contained.
Officials said Thursday that the fire remained in its mapped 628-acre footprint overnight, and crews remained on scene, working to secure the perimeter and cool down hot spots and areas of interior burning. It was 50% contained by Thursday afternoon.
The new fire, amid a renewed red flag warning for extreme fire danger, began around 3:30 p.m. Wednesday with a vehicle fire on Highway 97 near milepost 107 and Juniper Butte, spreading fast through brush and juniper. Smoke from the vehicle and brush fire was very visible on ODOT's TripCheck camera in that location.
Central Oregon fire officials said numerous crews and resources were called in to tackle the fire, including two "scooper" planes that were drawing water from Lake Billy Chinook, as well as two 20-person hand crews and more engines.
But they also said later Wednesday evening that crews had completed line construction around the entire fire perimeter and were working to strengthen those lines and achieve containment.
As the heat continues, the fire dangers rise, so officials are stressing some simple steps to reduce the risk.
"We really want folks to be mindful as they're out driving to not drive or park on dry vegetation and to make sure that those tow chains are secure," Deschutes National Forest Public Affairs Specialist Jaimie Olle said Thursday. "If the chain is dragging and touches pavement, that could cause a spark, which can cause another wildfire."
Here's the Wednesday evening news release from Central Oregon fire officials:
Central Oregon Interagency Dispatch Update – July 10, 2024 | Juniper Fire
Central Oregon — Around 3:30 p.m., firefighters responded to the Juniper Fire, burning on the west side of Highway 97 near Mile Post 107 between Terrebonne and Madras on private and county land and the Crooked River National Grassland. The fire is estimated at 700 acres and 0% contained.
Using dozer lines and existing features, firefighters have constructed line around the fire perimeter. Firefighters are continuing to strengthen and secure lines around the perimeter of the fire.
Responding resources included engines, hand crews, dozers, scoopers, helicopters, an air tanker and air attack.
Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office initially issued Level 1, 2, and 3 evacuation notices. Levels have all been decreased to a Level One “Be Ready.” You can find an interactive map of evacuation zones here. For updates on Highway 97 visit Oregon Department of Transportation’s TripCheck.
The Juniper Fire was caused by a vehicle fire that spread to the wildland.
For current wildfire information, the public can visit centraloregonfire.org or follow fire information on X (Twitter) @CentralORFire.
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ODOT had advised around 5:30 p.m. that the immediate highway closure had been extended to a six-mile stretch, from the Rex T. Barber "High Bridge" over the Crooked River Gorge at milepost 112 to the junction with Oregon Highway 361 at milepost 106. "Expect extended delays or use an alternate route," they said. The highway reopened before nightfall.
Check ODOT TripCheck updates here.
Jefferson County Sheriff Jason Pollock provided this detailed release on the fire and progress to stop it around 7:30 p.m.:
"On July 10, 2024, Frontier911 Dispatch center received a call at about 3:24 p.m., regarding a vehicle that caught on fire on Highway 97 near milepost 107 at the top of Juniper Butte. Jefferson County Fire & EMS along with the Oregon State Police, and the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office responded to the scene.
"While emergency personnel were responding dispatch was advised there were two male subjects that were in the vehicle that caught fire and were able to exit the vehicle without injury. Within about five minutes, another caller reported the fire has spread into the dry grass and sagebrush on the west side of Highway 97. Due to red flag warning days, winds, and extremely dry conditions the fire continued to grow and move southwest on the southside of Juniper Butte south along Highway 97.
"At about 3:35 p.m., another call came into Frontier911 and advised the fire had grown to about a half an acre and was rapidly moving to the south. As fire crews and law enforcement arrived on scene, the fire had grown to about 10 acres and was continuing to move south toward Monroe Lane along Highway 97.
"Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office and Frontier911 worked quickly get Everbridge emergency notifications out to residents in the path of the fire. Level 1, level 2 and level 3 notices were sent out to specific zones within the Juniper Fire pathway.
"BLM fire units, Crooked River Ranch Fire units, COIDC fire units, two structural task force units responded, one from Crook County and one from Deschutes County, along with several air attack fire units, which included two helicopters and a super scooper out of Moses Lake, were dispatched to the area to combat the rapidly growing fire.
"Ground crews from COIDC, BLM and Jefferson County Fire & EMS were attempting to get a fire line cut on the north side of Monroe Lane in an effort to stop the fire, however, due to high winds extreme heat and extremely dry conditions the fire jumped Monroe Lane and continued south. While fire crews were attempting to gain control of the fire, Jefferson County deputies and the Oregon State Police were going to homes in the area, making notification urging those in the path of the fire to either evacuate or be ready to evacuate.
"Fire crews moved personnel to SW Norris Lane, where they started a controlled back burn and cut a fire line. During the efforts to gain control of the fire, Highway 97 was shut down and traffic was rerouted to Highway 26 toward Prineville due to heavy smoke, visibility, and emergency crews moving up and down the highway to fight the fire.
"With the ground crew efforts and the air attack assets Fire Crews were able to gain control of the Juniper Fire and are now in mop-up efforts. Fire crews will be working on mop-up and continue to watch the situation throughout the night. Due to the hard work of fire crews, no structures were lost in this fire. The total acres burned is estimated to be about 700 acres.
Respectfully
Jason Pollock, Sheriff"
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Early in the fight, when estimated at 20 acres, six engines and overhead resources responded, while air attack and a Type 2 helicopter were providing aerial support.
Early reports indicated firefighters were working to keep the blaze from crossing the highway amid more heat and winds 10-20 mph.
The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office issued an evacuation notice: Level 3 evacuation GO NOW for the Juniper Fire, later reduced to Level 1 BE READY.
It included the Westside of Hwy. 97 and as far south as SW Park Lane, as far north as SW Monroe Lane, and on the westside following the Crooked River Gorge.
There also was a small fire late Tuesday night that burned a camp trailer in the "Dirt World" area of Juniper Ridge north of Bend and spread to about 1/10th of an acre of brush and trees, Bend Fire Deputy Fire Marshal Dan Derlacki said.
"As far as we know, no one was home at the time of the fire," Derlacki said, adding that the camp was on a small area of federal land just north of the hydroelectric plant.
Central Oregon Fire Management Services and the BLM were notified and will handle the investigation and follow-up, he said.
Tuesday's fires included an afternoon blaze on the west side of La Pine that damaged several outbuildings and vehicles but was stopped from spreading into the wildland.
The fire in the 15000 block of Rim Drive was reported around 3:30 p.m. and put up dark black smoke seen by La Pine Rural Fire District crews heading to it.
La Pine RFPD Engineer-Paramedic Nathaniel Adams said later they arrived to find several vehicles and outbuildings on fire The agency sent 14 firefighters, two command personnel, four support personnel and six suppression apparatus to the scene.
"We also received a mutual aid fire engine from Sunriver Fire & Rescue but were able to control the fire before their arrival," Adams said.
Central Oregon fire managers later said Incident 376, a dual jurisdiction between the Oregon Department of Forestry and La Pine RFPD, had four engines, a bulldozer and other resources on scene.
The part burning in the wildland was about a tenth of an acre, and by about 4:30 p.m., they said forward progression had been stopped.
Earlier, a brush fire broke out near Highway 126 west of Redmond shortly after noon Tuesday and led to the closure of the highway in both directions for a time, authorities said.
Central Oregon Fire Management Service said it sent crews to help fight Incident 373, which broke out south of the highway and west of Barr Road shortly around 12:15 p.m. It was estimated at a quarter-acre in size.
The fire closed the highway near milepost 103, about eight miles west of Redmond. ODOT TripCheck advised motorists to use an alternate route until the highway reopened shortly after 1 p.m.
The fire initially was reported as a single tree and a 12-by-12-foot area on fire about 300 yards from the highway. Officials later said it was mapped at 1.3 acres, with forward progress stopped and mop-up efforts underway.
Tuesday morning, crews tackled another brush fire near Smith Rock Way in Crook County, in the area of a power line. The fire caused no damage and was held to an acre or less, Crook County Fire & Rescue Division Chief Russell Deboodt said. The cause was under investigation.
