Bridge 99 Fire complex triples overnight

Blue skies in Sisters but the huge smoke plumes on the horizon tell a different story.

The Bridge 99 and Bear Butte 2 Fires tripled in size overnight.

“We weren’t expecting it to grow this much,” said Eric Knerr, deputy incident commander who was a the incident command center at Sisters Middle School.

Around 6 pm on Wednesday, winds pushed the fires further north-east. It currently burns on a combined acreage of 3,500 acres.

The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office ordered evacuations Thursday along the Metolius River from Allen Springs to Lake Billy Chinook set Level 3. That means leave immediately.

“There is very little private lands that contain houses along this area,” said Tom Lavagnino, public information officer.”But any houses on private lands within that zone of impact, potential impact have been evacuated by the Sheriff’s Office.”

The Three Rivers Subdivision is a Level 2 evacuation order. That means be ready to leave at a moments notice.

The subdivisions of rim Park, Forest Park, and Air Park along with Cove Palisades State Park are a Level 1 evacuation order, which means be ready.

The biggest concern with these fires remains weather patterns and the lack of resources.

“We currently still have some outstanding orders for aviation resources and for some equipment and hangers,” said Knerr.

Planes are so important because the steep terrain makes it difficult for firefighters to get to the fire.

“It’s still not safe to put firefighters directly ahead of the fire,” said Knerr.

Officials expect the fires to keep growing, but hopefully at a slower pace.