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Deschutes National Forest expands emergency fire closure areas for Bachelor Complex, Firestone, Flat Top fires

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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Suspect arrested on arson charges in string of fires set along Interstate 5 in Lane County

(Update: Suspect formally charged, arraigned, adding name) EUGENE, Ore. (KTVZ) – A man was arrested on arson, reckless burning and other charges Saturday, accused of starting a string of fires along Interstate 5 in the Goshen area south of Eugene, Lane County sheriff’s deputies said. Dispatchers received a report of a man starting fires along

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Deschutes National Forest implements emergency area closures due to Backside, Firestone wildfires

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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Backside Fire west of Mt. Bachelor closes resort, prompts evacuations, Firestone Fire S. of Pine Mtn. evacuations widen

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.

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‘We can get to them faster:’ Air tankers from busy Redmond base provide key element to stopping wildfires

(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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Wildfire damage means part of Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge will remain closed until next June

LAKEVIEW, Ore. (KTVZ) – The nearly month-old Warner Peak Fire is now 100% contained, but over 82,000 acres of the Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge will remain closed through June 15, 2025, due to the extensive wildfire damage and the potential threat of invasive species, officials said late last week.  On Aug. 5, a lightning strike

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‘It’s not over’: Governor Kotek gets agency briefing on wildfire season, urges caution over hot holiday weekend

 PORTLAND, Ore. (KTVZ) — Oregon Governor Tina Kotek visited the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center in Portland on Thursday for a briefing on the busy wildfire season, and afterward joined representatives from the Pacific Northwest Coordinating Group for an update on the still-high danger and urging caution this Labor Day weekend.   “I would like to thank

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Cooler, wetter weather helps crews make more progress on remaining wildfires, ahead of a late-summer warmup

PRINEVILLE, Ore. (KTVZ) — The recent cooler, wetter weather has been helping Oregon firefighters tackle several larger wildfires, many over a month old. But the threat of new wildfires remains high, as another warmup is due in coming days. As of Sunday morning, there were still about 250 firefighters battling the remaining lightning-sparked wildfire on

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