After a day of heavy fire activity, firefighters worked through the night on the Darlene 3 Fire to conduct firing operations and complete containment lines. The Central Oregon Type 3 team remains in unified command with Oregon State Fire Marshal (OSFM) Red Team.
The fire is currently 3889 acres and 30% contained. Winds and warm temperatures yesterday resulted in spotting beyond the fire perimeter, causing the fire to expand east into the Deschutes National Forest. The fire burned into several fuels treatment areas that had been previously completed by the Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service, which did allow for moderated fire activity. Wednesday night, firefighters were successful in finishing containment lines and completing firing operations. Today’s focus will be to strengthen the existing lines with dozers, handcrews and engines while the temperatures and wind are favorable. An informational community meeting will be held virtually Friday evening – more details will be forthcoming.
Since the fire began early Tuesday afternoon, structural and wildland resources have continued to arrive at the Incident Command Post in La Pine to support the fire, bringing the incident personnel total to 335. There are currently 38 engines, 5 handcrews, 8 water tenders, and multiple dozers and aircraft dedicated to fire suppression. Six task forces of structural firefighters are still actively working to protect structures and conduct mop-up around homes and infrastructure. Fire officials are grateful to members of the community for their willingness to follow evacuation orders and help keep firefighters safe on the roads by driving responsibly.
For the most up-to-date official evacuation information please visit Deschutes County evacuation information: www.deschutes.org/emergency. The Red Cross is staffing the evacuation shelter at La Pine High School (51633 Coach Rd.). The La Pine Activity Center (16450 Victory Way) is open for RVs to park and has meals for evacuees and N95 masks for those impacted by smoke. The La Pine Rodeo Grounds is accepting livestock and companion animals in coordination with the Pet Evacuation Team. Bend Pet Resort (60909 SE 27th St., Bend), is accepting cats and dogs and can be reached by calling 458-666-7505. Air quality information can be found at aqi.oregon.gov or by downloading the OregonAir app on their Apple or Android phone.
Some recreation areas in Deschutes National Forest remain closed, including 6 Mile Sno Park, Prairie Campground, McKay Crossing Campground, Ogden Group Campground, & the Rosland OHV play area & associated. The Prineville District Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has also issued an Emergency Public Land Closure. The closure includes all BLM-administered lands within National Forest Road 180 on the south, Highway 97 on the west, Paulina Lake Road on the north, and the Deschutes National Forest Boundary on the east. This closure notice is available online at https://www.blm.gov/programs/public-safety-and-fire/fire-and-aviation/regional-info/oregon-washington/fire-restrictions.
FEMA fulfilled the state of Oregon’s request and has authorized the use of federal funds to help with firefighting costs on the incident through an FMAG (Fire Management Assistance Grant) declaration. This declaration also paves the way for local agencies to pursue additional post-fire mitigation funds.
For current wildfire updates and community meeting details, the public can visit centraloregonfire.org or follow fire information on X (Twitter) @CentralORFire. Community members and media can also call the Central Oregon Fire Info phone line: 541.316.7711.