Busy day for C.O. fire crews: small blaze stopped E. of Sunriver; train sparks Bend, Redmond fires; 3 blazes fought in NW Madras

(Update: Incident 284 burns about 7 acre; Bend; cause of Madras fires undetermined)

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) – A warm early summer Monday had firefighters scrambling to put out several new fires around the region, from a small blaze in the woods east of Sunriver to two along railroad tracks in Bend and Redmond - sparked by a train's locked brakes - and three fires in a short period in northwest Madras.

Firefighters responded around 2:30 p.m. to Incident 284, located nine miles east of Sunriver and south of Kelsey Butte, putting up smoke visible from Highway 97, Bend and surrounding areas.

Interagency resources including six engines, a water tender and two large air tankers responded. Aircraft dropped retardant to slow the fire's spread.

Forward progression of the fire was stopped at just under seven acres, officials said around 7 p.m. "Firefighters have hose around the perimeter and are making good progress establishing control lines," officials said. the cause remains under investigation.

Around 2:45 p.m., Bend Fire & Rescue was dispatched to the reported brush fire along the northbound parkway near milepost 136, just north of Butler Market Road, Deputy Fire Marshal Cindy Kettering said.

First crews on scene found the fire being pushed to the south by gusty winds, she said. The forward progress was quickly stopped, with railroad tracks to the east and a canal to the south providing natural fire breaks. It burned about a quarter-acre.

The Butler Market parkway onramp and the BNSF Railway tracks were closed for a time but later reopened.

Investigators determined a southbound freight train recently passed through the area. A small fire also broke out along the tracks in the Redmond area, near S. Highway 97 and Quarry Avenue, so BNSF workers stopped and inspected the train.

One train car was found to have a locked-up brake, Kettering said. It was removed from the train to a railyard for repairs and the train continued south.

In northwest Madras, Jefferson County Fire & EMS was called to a wildland fire around 1:30 p.m. in the 2800 block of NW Clackamas Drive, Fire Chief Jeff Blake said. A short time later, another fire was reported in the 2500 block of NW Elm Lane. And a third fire was burning off Deschutes Drive, with a legal address in the 2600 block of NW Elm. All occurred within 15 minutes of each other.

The first fire burned about seven acres and threatened a shop, house and pole barn, Blake said. The second fire was about an acre in size, burning in heavy grass and weeds. It was burning near a home, Blake said, and an outbuilding with no power to it was lost in that fire, as well as minimal damage to some farm equipment.

Jefferson County crews were assisted by a task force from Deschutes County, made up of firefighters from Redmond, Sisters, Black Butte Ranch and Crooked River Ranch.

Investigators were unable to determine the cause of the fires, the fire chief said.