Discarded cigarette caused brush fire that closed Hwy. 126 near Powell Butte

POWELL BUTTE, Ore. (KTVZ) – A discarded cigarette sparked a brush fire Monday afternoon that burned about two acres and closed state Highway 126 a mile west of Powell Butte, an official said.

The fire was reported around noon and forward progress was stopped within about 90 minutes, Central Oregon Fire Management Service spokeswoman Kassidy Kern said.

The fire burned a pocket of private land, surrounded by BLM land, Kern said.

Redmond Fire Marshal Tom Mooney said Tuesday that the fire was caused by a discarded cigarette.

The Crook County and Redmond fire departments were in unified command on the fire, assisted by engine crews from the BLM and Oregon Department of Forestry. Redmond Fire Marshal Tom Mooney said crews worked from the highway to put out the vegetation fire.

One lane of traffic reopened with flaggers around 1:15 p.m., ODOT Region 4 spokeswoman Kacey Davey said. Follow traffic updates at KTVZ.COM’s TripCheck page.