Deschutes County sheriff’s deputies knock down small, spreading tent fire at homeless camp south of Bend

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Deschutes County sheriff’s deputies were dispatched early Saturday morning to a tent fire that was spreading at a homeless camp off China Hat Road south of Bend, dug a line around it and knocked down the blaze.

Deputies were sent around 1 a.m. to the reported tent fire at a camp off Forest Service Road 1801, near milepost 2.5 of China Hat Road, Sergeant Jason Wall said.

Deputies arriving on scene determined that a wood stove fire eventually burned the tent, surrounding area and began to threaten large trees nearby, Wall said.

Deputies were able to dig a line around the spreading flames and knock down the, flames, contained the fire an area of about 30 square feet.

Bend Fire & Rescue responded as mutual aid to the scene, but the fire was out when crews arrived, Deputy Fire Marshal Dan Derlacki said. Central Oregon Interagency Dispatch was notified and planned to send a crew out to follow up, he added.