C.O. crews battle lightning-sparked fires; 1,500-acre blaze near Paulina brings evacuations, campground, road closures
(Update: Durgen Fire brings campground, other evacuations, road closures; Crazy Creek Fire 400 acres)
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) – Thunderstorms moving across Central Oregon Sunday brought lightning, heavy rain and hail, sparking many new fire starts around the region that firefighters were busy responding to Monday, one that quickly grew to about 1,500 acres northeast of Paulina and prompted evacuations and road closures.
The largest of the new blazes, the Durgen Fire, had burned roughly 1,500 acres about six miles northeast of Paulina in the Wolf Creek area, Central Oregon officials said around 3:30 p.m. Monday. Firefighters on the scene included resources from the Post-Paulina RFPA and Forest Service, supported by aerial resources, including air tankers.
The Ochoco National Forest said on its Facebook page the Sugar Creek and Wolf Creek campgrounds were being evacuated, along with the Salters Cabin Horse Camp.
Crook County Undersheriff Bill Elliott advised in a Facebook post late Monday afternoon about evacuations and road closures from Ochoco Ranger Station up and at SE Beaver Creek Road and Paulina Highway.
Elsewhere, firefighters responded to the 400-acre Crazy Creek Fire burning near the creek of that name, east of Big Summit Prairie. A helicopter was supporting crews on the ground working that fire.
Crews also were on scene of the new Pulley Creek Fire, which initially was reported as five acres "but is likely growing as fire behavior continues to remain very active," officials said.
Elsewhere, the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office reported a fire on Monday near Ashwood and the Wheeler County line burned about 120 acres before it was contained, though a Level 1 BE SET evacuation alert remained in place.
Jefferson County deputies also responded to a fire Monday afternoon in Warm Springs, along Old Mill Road west of the Deschutes River, that prompted a Level 1 evacuation along NW 17.
Earlier Monday, officials said the new Cherry Creek Fire had burned about 120 acres south of the John Day River and 16 miles northwest of Mitchell. A local range protection association and BLM resources were on the scene Monday morning, along with four single-engine air tankers (SEAT planes).
Most of the reported incidents overnight were located on the Ochoco National Forest north of Big Summit Prairie, Central Oregon fire officials said. A reconnaissance flight Monday morning looked for additional starts across Central Oregon.
Bend Fire & Rescue responded to three fires in the area from Sunday's storms, the largest that burned about a half-acre off U.S. Highway 97 near 61st Street north of Bend.
Bend Deputy Fire Marshal Cindy Kettering said the fire reported just before 5:30 p.m. south of 61st Street was the largest of three lightning-sparked blazes Bend Fire & Rescue crews responded to Sunday evening. The other two were single-tree fires in rural southeast Bend.
A National Weather Service spotter near Deschutes River Woods reported half-inch hail as the storm moved north toward Redmond.
The NWS warned shortly before 6 p.m. of a strong thunderstorm near Redmond and Terrebonne, moving north at 30 mph, with winds gusting to 40 mph and half-inch hail. They recommended, if outdoors, to consider seeking shelter inside a building.
That's just what happened to thousands of music-lovers attending the closing night of this weekend’s FairWell Festival at the Deschutes County Fairgrounds in Redmond.
Festival officials announced a weather delay and said on their website, “Due to an approaching storm, performances have been suspended momentarily. We expect this to be a temporary delay. Please head to the First Interstate Bank Center and await further updates.”
Someone told NewsChannel 21 about the event suspension and said, "Hope it passes quick ... hot in here!” And later, festival organizers said the event had resumed.
