New wildfire breaks out near Bessie Butte, south of Bend
A new wildfire broke out late Wednesday afternoon near Bessie Butte, south of Bend, and drew a quick attack in blustery winds, Central Oregon fire…
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ODF’s Central Oregon District enters regulated-use closure on Wednesday
PRINEVILLE, Ore. (KTVZ) — The Oregon Department of Forestry’s Central Oregon District will enter Regulated-Use Closure beginning at 12:01 a.m.…
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Fire near Columbia Gorge burns 15 acres, prompts Level 1 evacuation notice
A wildfire that broke out Sunday afternoon near the Columbia River Gorge town of Rowena prompted a Level 1 pre-evacuation notice and closed a highway…
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Hwy. 97 driver swerves to avoid deer, crashes, sparks brush fire, power outage
A driver who swerved to avoid a deer crossing U.S. Highway 97 in southern Bend crashed and sparked a brushfire Sunday morning that closed the highway…
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Wildfire season heating up in Central Oregon
A brush fire broke out east of Highway 97 just north of Bend on Friday afternoon, closing the highway for a time until crews could get a handle on…
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Forest Service urges: Keep fireworks off public lands
PORTLAND, Ore. (KTVZ) — Forest Service officials are reminding all those headed out to public lands this Fourth of July weekend to leave fireworks…
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Deschutes County residents urged to prep for wildfire season
Deschutes County Health Services encourages residents to prepare for wildfire season. With a fire-adapted landscape, it is important to prepare for…
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1,000-acre wildfire east of Madras reaches 60% containment
Firefighters made good progress and reached 60% containment Wednesday of a day-old, 1,000-acre fire on private land about 10 miles east of Madras,…
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Deschutes Natl. Forest raising industrial fire precaution level Friday
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — Due to drying fuels and increasing potential for fire starts, beginning this Friday, at 12:01 a.m. the Deschutes National…
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C.O. national forests, BLM to restrict fire use, starting Friday
With a warm, dry spring and a hot summer forecast, the Forest Service and BLM in Central Oregon are implementing public use restrictions, starting…
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Homeowner’s weed burner sparks SW Bend brush fire
Firefighters extinguished a small brush fire in the front yard of a southwest Bend home Thursday afternoon that officials said was caused by a…
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Thunderstorms, lightning spark new, small C.O. fires
Saturday’s intense thunderstorms also hit the region with hundreds of lightning strikes, some of which sparked new, small wildfires tackled by…
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Lightning sparks several small C.O. fires; one grows to 120 acres near Chiloquin
While Central Oregon crews tackled several small lightning-sparked fires on Friday, a larger lightning-caused blaze had burned about 120 acres in a…
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Oregon Dept. of Forestry’s C.O. district to enter fire season on Monday
The Oregon Department of Forestry’s Central Oregon District will enter fire season on Monday at 12:01 a.m. The move affects private, county, state…
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Annual campfire restrictions begin Monday on BLM rivers in Central Oregon
Annual campfire restrictions will go into effect on Monday, June 1 on portions of the Deschutes, John Day, White and Crooked rivers, as well as on…
Continue Reading Here’s some tips to keep your campfire from sparking a wildfire
SALEM, Ore. (KTVZ) — Sitting around a campfire is one of the special times we all enjoy, but campfires are also a major cause of wildfires. May is…
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Top causes of Oregon wildfires are preventable
For many, the term “wildfires” conjures up large forest fires in remote, unpopulated areas. And, in many cases, these “wildfires” are…
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C.O. crews prepare for wildfire season amid COVID 19 challenges
Wildfire season is fast approaching, and now the crews that respond to fires will have to follow new social distancing protocols amid the COVID-19…
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Warm weekend forecast, early dry conditions worry Oregon fire officials
The month of May is generally associated with the blooming of flowers and the end of winter. That has all changed in…
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BLM bans fireworks, exploding targets as wildfire season approaches
Effective next Sunday, the federal Bureau of Land Management is prohibiting the use of fireworks, target shooting with exploding targets, and firing…
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