Small prescribed burn planned Monday near Sunriver to train fire investigators; other fires found, stopped small

(Update: Adding two other recent small fires, one another abandoned campfire)

SUNRIVER, Ore. (KTVZ) -- The Bend-Fort Ranger District plans to conduct a five-acre prescribed burn Monday morning near Sunriver to generate a training environment for students enrolled in the Forest Service’s fire investigator class.

Firefighters will burn the training unit, with ignitions slated for 9:30 a.m. The unit is located adjacent to Forest Service Road 41 two miles west of Sunriver and a half-mile west of the Spring River subdivision, near Besson Day Use Area.

No road or trail closures are anticipated, officials said Sunday. Minimal drift smoke may be visible from Forest Service Road 41 and 40.

Crews responded to Incident 193, a quarter-acre fire Sunday evening just south of the Cascade Lakes Highway, about 1 1/2 miles west of the Cascade Lakes Welcome Station.

It was contained and determined to be an abandoned campfire, much like about a half-dozen abandoned campfires found and put out around the region the previous weekend.

"Campfires must be fully extinguished and cold to the touch before you leave them unattended," officials reminded Sunday.

To the east, firefighters on Friday found and contained Incident 185, a 37-acre fire along the John Day River, just south of Spring Basin Wilderness Trailhead. It was in mop-up by the end of the day. The cause was under investigation.

More info on the prescribed burn:

What does this mean for you?

During prescribed burns, smoke may settle in low-lying areas overnight.

· All residents are encouraged to close windows at night to avoid smoke impacts

· When driving in smoky areas, drivers should slow down and turn on headlights

· If you have heart or lung disease, asthma, or other chronic conditions, ask your doctor about how to protect yourself from smoke

· Go to centraloregonfire.org to learn more about smoke safety and prescribed burning in Central Oregon

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