Small fire stopped in area of homeless campers off China Hat road south of Bend
Residents awakened by exploding propane tanks
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) – Some southern Bend residents said they were awakened late Tuesday night by the sound of propane tanks exploding from a fire in a transient camp area off China Hat Road that officials said burned a camper and was stopped at 1/10th of an acre.
Incident 869 was reported around 11 p.m. off China Hat Road at milepost 2, Forest Service Public Affairs Officer Kassidy Kern.
Bend Fire & Rescue and Central Oregon Fire Management Service engine crews responded to the scene..
Bend Deputy Fire Marshal Dan Derlacki said a camper was burned in the fire. There was no word on the cause of the fire or of any reported injuries.
Some residents of the nearby Woodside Ranch and Lost Tracks neighborhoods have expressed repeated concern about the homeless camps on nearby Forest Service land.
After Tuesday night’s fire, one said they awakened to the propane tank explosions and people yelling profanities, while another said “the situation on China Hat is out of control”
Earlier this year, the Deschutes National Forest issued notices to vacate campsites on China Hat Road, along with a temporary campfire ban. But Forest Service Public Affairs Officer Jean Nelson-Dean told NewsChannel 21 such actions have little practical impact: “We don’t have the authority to trespass people from public lands,” only issue a citation that carries a $100 fine in federal court.
