Wildfire south of Highway 126 burns 150 acres, shuts Redmond Airport, prompts evacuations in Deschutes, Crook counties
(Update: New acreage, broader evacuations, airport closed for firefighting efforts)
REDMOND, Ore. (KTVZ) – A wind-fanned wildfire broke out amid very hot, dry conditions south of Highway 126 and southeast of Redmond Airport Saturday afternoon, closing the airport as it raced across 150 acres by evening while prompting Level 3 GO NOW evacuations in Deschutes and Crook counties and a major air and ground attack.
Incident 353, named the McCaffery Fire for McCaffery Road in the area the fire began, was reported shortly after 2 p.m. on Prineville BLM-managed land and was estimated more than an hour later at four acres near the Deschutes/Crook county line, east of Redmond and west of Powell Butte. It later grew to 20 acres, than a report of 100 and by evening was at about 150 acres
Several Forest Service and BLM crews responded to assist Redmond firefighters, along with two single-engine air tankers (SEAT planes) to drop retardant, joined later by air tankers and structural-protection task forces.
Redmond Airport said in a posting atop its website that the "airport is closed until further notice due to adjacent wildfire fighting efforts." They urged travelers to check with your air carrier directly for flight status updates and any cancellations.
The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office issued an initial Level 3 GO NOW evacuation notice shortly before 3 p.m. for SE Sunny Sage Way off McCaffery Road.
The Deschutes and Crook County sheriff's offices issued a wider evacuation alert around 5:20 p.m.:
Due to fire activity in the area of McCaffery and Sherman Road, the Deschutes County Sheriff's Office and Crook County Sheriff's Office has issued the following evacuation notices.
Level 3 (Go Now!) Evacuation notice is issued for the following areas:
All residences on Sunny Sage Rd. off of McCaffery Rd. in Deschutes County.
West Powell Butte Estates and the area to the south to Powell Butte Hwy. in Crook County.
Level 3: means “GO” evacuate now. Leave immediately! Danger to your area is current or imminent, and you should evacuate immediately. If you choose to ignore this advisement, you must understand that emergency services may not be available to assist you further. DO NOT delay leaving to gather any belongings or make efforts to protect your home. This will be the last notice you receive.
A Temporary Evacuation Point is being established at the Powell Butte Church.
Large animals can be sheltered at the Crook County Fairgrounds.
Current maps including evacuation areas can be found at: https://deschutes.org/emergency
For fire information, you can visit the Central Oregon Fire information site at: www.centraloregonfire.org
Make sure you are registered for Deschutes Alerts to receive evacuation and emergency alert and warnings in your area by going to: www.deschutesalerts.org.
Crook County Sheriff John Gautney says Redmond Airport is giving priority traffic to fire aircraft. He said the fire was under the command of BLM, with a joint command with Prineville and Redmond Fire, the Oregon State Fire Marshal's Office and the Crook and Deschutes County sheriff's offices.
