Firefighters stop blaze next to Empire Avenue Bend Parkway onramp; officials say no homeless camp in immediate area

(Update: Adding video, Derlacki comments; no camp in area)

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) – Bend Fire & Rescue responded Sunday afternoon to reports of a small brush fire next to Empire Avenue and the northbound Bend Parkway onramp and contained it about a quarter-acre, with help from U.S. Forest Service and Oregon Department of Forestry crews.

Deschutes County 911 dispatchers began getting calls just after 3 p.m. Sunday about the brush fire and the first units to arrive found the blaze burning in the brush just east of the onramp, Deputy Fire Marshal Cindy Kettering said.

BNSF Railway train traffic was stopped briefly as firefighters worked beside the tracks, Kettering said, adding that the fire did not jump the tracks and no structures were threatened.

Forward progress of the fire was quickly stopped, and the fire contained at a quarter-acre, Kettering said.

ODOT and Bend Police provided traffic control in the area, with westbound Empire Avenue and the northbound parkway closed for a time.

Kettering said a power pole was "involved only very briefly" and the fire was stopped before reaching the power lines overhead; no outages were reported.

While the cause of the fire remained under investigation, Deputy Fire Marshal Dan Derlacki said Monday there was no homeless camp in the immediate area.

“Having it surrounded by roads and the railroad tracks helped us a lot," Derlacki said. "It'll give us a chance to be able to stop that fire from spreading any further. But that fire can still jump those tracks just as easily as it stopped. ”

Kettering said in a news release, "Bend Fire & Rescue would like to remind the community that despite slightly cooler temperatures, we are still in extreme fire danger."

"Any fire starts are very likely to spread quickly and burn intensely," she wrote. "Caution must be exercised around dry vegetation, particularly with any potential source of ignition such as cigarettes, hot vehicle exhaust and pipes, bladed equipment use, or cutting/grinding of metal."  

Derlacki also advised that if you see a fire while driving, call it in as soon as it's safe to do so. If you don't see firefighters on the scene or heading for it, please don't assume someone else will report it.