Smoke alert: Prescribed burns set near Bend and Sisters this week

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — If conditions are favorable on Thursday, the Deschutes National Forest plans to continue prescribed burning operations on the Bend-Fort Rock and Sisters Ranger Districts.

Firefighters on the Bend-Fort Rock Ranger District plan to conduct up to 365 acres on the Tiddlywinks 4 and 2B Prescribed Burn units located one mile west of Bend on the west side of Forest Service Road (FSR) 41 and south of the Cascade Lakes Highway.

Ignitions are planned for 9:30 a.m. A pilot car will be in place on FSR 41 providing escorted access through the prescribed burn area. The following trail and road closures will be in place:

• Storm King from the junction with Tiddlywinks and Funner east to FSR 41
• Catch & Release from the Cascade Lakes Welcome Station south to the junction with FSR 41-600
• FSR 41-100
• FSR 41-530

Closures will remain in place for multiple days while mop-up and patrol operations continue after the prescribed burn is complete. Firefighters will reopen trails once conditions have been assessed and are determined safe for the public.

Smoke will be visible from FSR 41, Cascade Lakes Highway, Bend and the surrounding area. Residents in Bend and along the Deschutes River drainage including Sunriver and La Pine are encouraged to keep doors and windows closed to minimize smoke impacts. Smoke impacts are most likely overnight and in the early morning hours.

Sisters Ranger District firefighters plan to conduct 40 acres of ignitions on the Flymon 7 Prescribed Burn located 10 miles northeast of Camp Sherman and six miles southeast of Lake Billy Chinook. While no road or trail closures are anticipated, FSR 11 will serve as the western control line of the prescribed burn. People driving in the area should slow down and use caution as firefighting personnel will be working in the area.

Ignitions are planned for 10 a.m. Residents in the Three Rivers subdivision and surrounding area are encouraged to keep doors and windows closed to minimize smoke impacts. Smoke impacts are most likely overnight and in the early morning hours.

Prescribed burns can protect homes from tragic wildfires. Fire management officials work with Oregon Department of Forestry smoke specialists to plan prescribed burns. Prescribed burns are conducted when weather is most likely to move smoke up and away from our communities. While prescribed fire managers take significant preventive measures, it’s likely that communities may experience some smoke during or immediately after a prescribed burn.

What does this mean for you?
During prescribed burns, smoke may settle in low-lying areas overnight and in the early morning hours. 

• All residents are encouraged to close doors and windows at night to avoid smoke impacts.
• If available, use a portable air cleaner. Air cleaners work best running with doors and windows closed. You can also create a DIY air cleaner.
• If you have a central air system, use it to filter air. Use high-efficiency filters if possible.
• When driving in smoky areas, drivers should slow down, turn on headlights and turn air to recirculating.
• If you have heart or lung disease, asthma, or other chronic conditions, pay attention to how you feel and if symptoms of heart or lung disease worsen, consider contacting your health care professional.
• Go to centraloregonfire.org to learn more about smoke safety and prescribed burning in Central Oregon and visit centraloregonfire.org/protect-your-health for more smoke preparedness resources.

For more information on prescribed burning in Central Oregon, visit centraloregonfire.org and for information specific to the Deschutes National Forest visit fs.usda.gov/deschutes. Follow us on X @CentralORFire. Text “COFIRE” to 888-777 to receive wildfire and prescribed fire text alerts.

About the Forest Service: The USDA Forest Service has for more than 100 years brought people and communities together to answer the call of conservation. Grounded in world-class science and technology– and rooted in communities–the Forest Service connects people to nature and to each other. The Forest Service cares for shared natural resources in ways that promote lasting economic, ecological, and social vitality. The agency manages 193 million acres of public land, provides assistance to state and private landowners, maintains the largest wildland fire and forestry research organizations in the world. The Forest Service also has either a direct or indirect role in stewardship of about 900 million forested acres within the U.S., of which over 130 million acres are urban forests where most Americans live.