Human-caused fire breaks out near Skyliners Road west of Bend; crews stop its spread, move to mop-up work

(Update: New fire update)

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- A wildfire broke out Friday north of Skyliners Road, about four miles west of Bend, putting up smoke that was visible over a wide area as crews quickly stopped its spread and worked to put it out.

The Trail 32 Fire (Incident 185) was reported around 2:45 p.m. and later determined it burned about a half-acre before its forward progress was stopped. Crews were building a hand line around the fire, which burned in grass, brush, logs and duff.

While the fire burned in the area of the Bend-Fort Rock Ranger District of the Deschutes National Forest, officials said later the point of origin was found to be on private land.

"The fire was human-caused and is under investigation," officials said shortly after 5 p.m., as crews began mop-up operations.

No structures were threatened, they said. Three engines and a hand crew were working to finish containment.

Shortly after she left the fire scene, Bend Deputy Fire Marshal Cindy Kettering told KTVZ News, "A number of Forest Service and Oregon Department of Forestry resources are on scene."

A helicopter and fixed-wing plane were the first air resources on scene to assist.

Kettering said when she left the scene, "they were already getting a good knock on it."

The fire had a moderate rate of spread in trees and brush and was burning on the ground, not up in the trees, Kettering said.

The fire was constrained on the west side by a rock cliff and to the East by a Forest Service road.