Crash on Cline Falls Highway sparks small fire

A Bend mother and daughter escaped serious injury Thursday when their Jeep and trailer left Cline Falls Highway and went down a 20-foot embankment, sparking a fire that burned some juniper trees, officials said.

Deschutes County sheriff’s deputies responded around 10:30 a.m. to the crash near the 65000 block of Cline Falls Highway west of Redmond, Sgt. Deke DeMars said. Bend Fire Department crews found the front of the Jeep Grand Cherokee was on fire and had spread to adjacent trees, which they put out.

The driver, a 51-year-old Bend woman, and her 73-year-old mother were evaluated by Bend Fire Department medics and released with minor injuries, DeMars said. The driver was not cited, he added.

An investigation found the driver was heading north, towing a 15-foot trailer loaded with gravel, when she lost control of the vehicle. DeMars said it’s believed the trailer’s weight pushed the Jeep off the east side of the highway and down the embankment, where it came to rest against a juniper tree.