Camper in woods west of Sisters injured trying to put out escaped cooking fire, cited

SISTERS, Ore. (KTVZ) – A man camping on Forest Service land west of Sisters was injured Thursday as he tried to put out an escaped cooking fire, then ran to get help and was cited for reckless burning, Deschutes County sheriff’s deputies said.

County dispatchers got a call around 10:47 a.m. of a fire in the woods off the 100 spur road west of Sisters, and the first fire crews on scene found a fire about 25 yards in diameter, Sgt. Jayson Janes said. They were able to get a line around it and keep it from spreading, with no evacuations needed, due to its location and size.

Deputies said a 42-year-old man camping in the area had started a cooking fire that escaped but quickly began to spread. He tried to put it out, but was unable to do so, so he ran to a nearby business to get help, Janes said.

The man was taken by ambulance to St. Charles Redmond with non-life-threatening injuries, Janes said, and was issued a citation to appear in court on a reckless burning charge.

The sheriff’s office also was assisted at the scene by the Black Butte Police Department.

"The sheriff’s office would like to remind everyone that camp fires are currently not allowed in dispersed campsites," Janes said in a news release. "They are only allowed in designated campgrounds and in a fire ring."