SUNRIVER, Ore. (KTVZ) – It was standing room only Wednesday night at Three Rivers Elementary School as hundreds of concerned residents were eager to learn more about the wildfire threatening to force evacuations, as well as fire safety, wildfire prevention and emergency response strategies. At Three Rivers School, the various agencies involved in the fight to
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(Update: Adding video) SALEM, Ore. (KTVZ) — In honor of National Preparedness Month, the Oregon Department of Human Services announced a new contract Tuesday that will provide advanced evacuation software to all of Oregon’s 36 counties and nine Tribes. The software, from Genasys Inc., will help manage emergency evacuations more effectively across the state. As
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PORTLAND, Ore. (KTVZ) The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality issued an air quality advisory Wednesday for the following areas due to smoke from fires in Oregon: Deschutes County Grant County Wheeler County DEQ expects the air quality advisory to last until at least Friday morning. DEQ and partner agencies will continue to monitor smoke in
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SALEM, Ore. (KTVZ) – The Oregon State Fire Marshal mobilized resources to the Service Fire in Wheeler County overnight as the fire, pushed by gusty winds and critical fire conditions, rapidly grew Monday. The lightning-sparked fire was estimated to be 15,000 acres as of Monday night. The Wheeler County Sheriff’s Office has issued levels 1, 2, and
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PRINEVILLE, Ore. (KTVZ) — In coordination with the Crook County Sheriff’s Office, the Ochoco National Forest is expanding the Maury Mountains closure area. This decision follows increased fire activity on the western flank of the Wiley Flat Fire, making the expanded closure necessary to ensure public safety and allow firefighters to continue their work without
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BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) – Bend and Alfalfa firefighters put out a brush fire in the woods near Bear Creek Road east of Bend Tuesday afternoon that investigators said apparently was caused by a lightning strike to a tree that had been smoldering but was not previously spotted in the area’s smoky skies. Bend Fire &
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The Little Lava Fire kept on growing and putting up a large smoke plume Tuesday as Deschutes County emergency managers once again expanded the Level 3, 2 and 1 evacuation zones to include more populated areas south of Bend — including Sunriver raising to Level 2, “Be Set” to leave at a moment’s notice.
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BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — Several days of this lingering smoky haze are taking a toll on people and businesses in downtown Bend. Smoke from the recent wildfires, like the Little Lava and Backside fires, have become a new if troubling normal for residents. But of visitors like Laney Conger, from Montana, she finds the smoke troubling. “Had
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SISTERS, Ore. (KTVZ) – Two growing wildfires on the Willamette National Forest west of Sisters have now prompted the closures of both state Highways 126 and 242, the McKenzie Pass Highway, ODOT said Tuesday morning. Due to increasing activity on the nearly 150-acre Boulder Creek Fire burning east of Highway 126, crews closed Highway 126
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BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — Wildfires have become an annual occurrence in the region, exacerbated by prolonged drought conditions, and this year has been especially challenging across the state and region. In recent weeks, intense wildfires raging across Oregon have not only devastated large swaths of forest and residential areas but have also led to significant
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A Redmond native and Bend business owner, now retired and living “off the grid” just outside of Chiloquin, lost everything to the Copperfield Fire, one of eight homes and 22 other buildings destroyed by the blaze.
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REDMOND, Ore. (KTVZ) Redmond Fire & Rescue said Monday it would like to remind everyone that we are deep into the wildfire season and all burning is still closed. During this closure, all outdoor debris burning is prohibited in all areas served by Redmond Fire & Rescue in Deschutes, Crook and Jefferson counties. As a reminder,
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BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — The Deschutes National Forest announced Monday it has expanded two temporary emergency fire closure areas on the Bend-Fort Rock Ranger District due to the Bachelor Complex, the Flat Top Fire and the Firestone Fire. The Bachelor Complex includes the Backside and Little Lava Fires as well as several smaller fires within the
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PORTLAND, Ore. (KTVZ) — The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality and The Lane Regional Air Protection Agency issued a new air quality advisory Monday for the following areas due to smoke from fires in Oregon: Crook County Deschutes County Eastern Douglas County Southern Grant County Northern Harney County Southern Jefferson County Northern Klamath County Northern
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McKENZIE BRIDGE, Ore. (KTVZ) – The Lane County Sheriff’s Office on Sunday night issued a Level 1 GET READY evacuation notice for an area north of state Highway 126 due to a nearby wildfire, one day after a fire in the Three Sisters Wilderness Area prompted a Level 3 GO NOW evacuation and closed a
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Firefighters battled a growing number of larger, older and new lightning-sparked wildfires across Central Oregon and nearby areas on Sunday, with resources stretched thin. Many were caught small, but on the larger ones, some evacuation zones expanded, with area emergency closures in place.
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BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — Effective immediately, the Deschutes National Forest said Saturday is temporarily closing two areas on the Bend-Fort Rock Ranger District due to the Backside and Firestone fires. Backside Fire | Temporary Emergency Fire Closure An emergency closure order for the Backside Fire burning one mile west of Mt. Bachelor and 16 miles west
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One of the dozens of new lightning-sparked fires being tackled around the region Saturday after Friday night’s round of thunderstorms prompted a Level 3 GO NOW evacuation and closure of Mt. Bachelor resort and a large swath of the surrounding Deschutes National Forest, including Sparks Lake and Devils Lake.
The evacuation zone due to the Backside Fire, 50 acres and moving north at last report, also included the Todd Creek Horse Camp, Quinn Meadow and associated trail systems, officials said on the county’s emergency evacuation map.
The Oregon State Fire Marshal is mobilizing its Blue Incident Management Team and several task forces to the Rail Ridge Fire in Grant and Crook counties and the Shoe Fly Fire in Wheeler County. Governor Tina Kotek invoked the Conflagration Act for both fires Friday.
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(Update: adding video, comment Neptune Aviation Services, US Forest Service) REDMOND, Ore. (KTVZ) — With numerous major wildfires burning across the state and region well into September, many Central Oregonians have seen more air traffic this week, as air tankers are busy refueling and reloading retardant at their Redmond base. Redmond Air Center has seen
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