Bend Fire and Rescue said on Twitter that it had stopped forward progress of a fire burning north of the city Saturday evening. The fire produced a large plume of black smoke as it consumed several cars in a nearby junkyard, the fire department said.
The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office earlier in the evening issued Level 3 evacuation orders, meaning “go now,” for residents north of Cooley Road and east of Highway 97 in Bend. A map of the evacuation zones is available here.
The size of the fire was unknown as of Saturday night, but hot temperatures and high winds had many on edge about the blaze’s potential to spread. The regional forecast calls for high temperatures through the middle of the week.
The sheriff’s office closed Highway 97 between Cooley Road and Deschutes Junction Saturday evening until further notice.
The Red Cross established an evacuation center at St. Francis of Assisi Church on Northeast 27th Street in Bend.
The fire’s cause is unknown.
This story may be updated.