Escaped homeless camp cooking fire burns under 1/4 acre near St. Charles Bend

(Update: Adding video, fire marshal comment)

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- An escaped cooking fire at a homeless camp fire north of St. Charles Bend burned less than a quarter-acre of brush Wednesday morning, thanks to police, bystanders and firefighters.

Fire crews responded around 9:40 a.m. to the reported brush fire on a large vacant lot just north of the hospital, which was contained by responding police and bystanders, Deputy Fire Marshal Dan Derlacki said.

The property is undeveloped, he said, and the closest buildings were 300 feet away.

Along with Bend firefighters, the Alfalfa Fire District responded with a water tender and the U.S. Forest Service provided a brush engine to assist, Derlacki said.

"Bend Fire Department reminds everyone to ensure any and all fires need to follow our current burn regulations," Derlacki said in a news release. "They call for clear spaces between the fire and combustibles and adequate tools on hand to extinguish the fire when done."

The U.S. Forest Service said Tuesday Central Oregon firefighters already have responded to 16 human-caused wildfires in the past two weeks, which is above normal for the number we typically see this time of year.

"So we are asking people when they have any type of campfire or cooking fire to make sure it's in a good clean space," Derlacki said. "It has plenty of space around it, it's not next to the combustible debris or materials to make it extend."

"We have had a dry spring, the fire official noted, "and with the warm weather this week, we have a potential for these types of fires to spread." More information on how to have a safe campfire can be found on the website: www.bendoregon.gov/burninginfo