Officials: Pilot Butte to reopen on Saturday

Visitors will be able to once again walk and drive up Pilot Butte starting on Saturday, according to Oregon Parks and Recreation Department officials.

The scenic viewpoint was closed on Wednesday after a large brush fire caused a major power outage and threatened several apartments.

Officials said crews spent Thursday and Friday mopping up hot spots and cleaning up. On Friday, crews were putting up a fence around the burned area and people are asked to not go into the recovery area.

Forest crews were also clearing and cutting down hazardous trees.

Bend police arrested Brandon Hastings, 38, and Alan Stout, 29, who are accused of setting off an illegal mortar-style firework that sparked the 10-acre blaze, which shut U.S. Highway 20, prompted evacuations of nearby apartments and also reached power lines, knocking out power to nearly 27,000 Pacific Power customers.

The fire caused substantial damage on the east and south lower slopes of the nearly 500-foot lava dome and also ignited spot fires across Highway 20 that crews quickly extinguished. Police evacuated apartments to the east of Pilot Butte, while city, Forest Service and Oregon Department of Forestry crews rushed in and were able to stop the fire’s spread within an hour.

Several apartment residents were able to provide “excellent descriptions” of the vehicles and people in the area just before the fire began, Burleigh said on Thursday. Two residents who “recognized the severity of the situation” either took photos of vehicles leaving the area or had detailed descriptions to provide of the possible culprits, he added.

Officials told NewsChannel 21 Friday it could take years for the burn scar to fully recover, but the state parks agency does have a plan.

District Manager Ross Kihs said a natural resources specialist will look at the area and come up with a plan to restore the natural habitat.

“Probably in the fall, we’ll plant native species back,” Kihs said. “We’ll take out some of the trees that are damaged and plant new ones. It’s just going to be a slow process and take about a year or two years to actually get it going the way it needs to go.”

A park ranger and host will be on hand in case any flare-ups happen during the weekend.