4-acre fire lined west of Sunriver; FS Road 40 closed

(Update: Fire fully lined at 4 acres; ‘drone’ that stops helicopter work turns out to be Google balloon)

A small new wildfire Friday afternoon, fully lined at about four acres, prompted closure of Forest Service Road 40 near Wake Butte, west of Sunriver and east of Crane Prairie Reservoir, Deschutes County sheriff’s deputies said.

Central Oregon fire officials said the fire, initially reported as 1/10 of an acre, was burning near Wake Butte and was reported shortly before 2 p.m.

Sheriff’s Sgt. William Bailey said the fire was lined by about 4 p.m. but that FS Road 40 would remain closed until dark Friday between FS Road 45 (also known as River Summit Drive) and FS Road 4270, the road to Crane Prairie. Travelers were urged to use an alternate route.

Deputies also said they had been investigating reports of a drone in the area, which shut down helicopter firefighting operations.

But they later said it turned out to be a “Google balloon,” part of Project Loon, which is a program aimed at providing “balloon-powered Internet for everyone.”