Central Oregon evacuees take shelter from Darlene 3 fire

A late morning wind whipped through the parking lot at the La Pine High School. Cars, trucks, vans and trailers were pulling in one by one to take refuge from the Darlene 3 Fire, burning on the eastern edge of La Pine.

The Perrine family — Terry and wife, Pamela, along with their son Robert and eight dogs — left as soon as they got the “Go Now” Level 3 notice at 3:45 p.m. Tuesday, about 30 minutes after first seeing smoke.

Terry Perrine said he remembered watching the news about what happened in Paradise, California, when the Camp Fire destroyed the town in 2018, and he didn’t want to get caught in the Darlene 3 fire with no way to escape.

Firefighters worked through the night Tuesday to establish control lines around the perimeter of the fire, which covered about 3,900 acres, with 30% containment as of Thursday morning. Current evacuation notices are posted online by the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office.

The fire ignited Tuesday afternoon, and Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek invoked the Emergency Conflagration Act to mobilize state firefighting resources who specialize in protecting structures.

“Six task forces of structural firefighters will be actively working to prep and protect structures. These include the eastside of the city of La Pine, Newberry Estates, as well as nearby water and power infrastructure,” according to a press release from fire managers, which also includes information about available shelter sites.

The cause of the fire is under active investigation, officials said Wednesday.

The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office reported Wednesday 490 structures threatened under Level 3 evacuation notices. That level means affected people should get out right away without delaying to gather belongings. Some 630 structures were threatened under Level 2 notices, including the city’s wastewater treatment plant, a city official said. Level 2 notices mean there’s a significant threat and people should be set to go.

Since it ignited, the fire has grown onto public lands east of La Pine, which has about 2,500 residents within city limits.

But, city manager Geoff Wullschlager estimated thousands more people live nearby in unincorporated areas of southern Deschutes County.

“There’s caution in the community now, but we aren’t seeing a panic,” Wullschlager said. “People kind of understand what to expect.”

Chantel Helwig, 44, lives in La Pine. She said she was at a community kitchen the afternoon the fire broke out. When they heard sirens, she said, “we watched them all fly past us.”

Helwig said people at the kitchen left to try to save their things and, “We knew it was bad because helicopters started coming in, lots of airplanes started coming in.”

Helwig and the Perrine family said the response to the fires was swift and showed a level of preparedness on the part of the responding agencies.

La Pine was threatened by multiple wildfires in 2021, he said, and longtime residents remember wildfire evacuation notices going back decades. This time, city manager Wullschlager’s home was under a Level 2 evacuation notice.

“I’ve got what I need, if I need to go,” he said.

Late Wednesday morning, law enforcement officials extended a Level 1 notice to an area of the city where a $46 million water and sewer infrastructure project is under construction. Level 1 notices mean people should monitor emergency information and start making arrangements to be ready to evacuate. Construction crews were continuing to work in the area unless the evacuation level increased, Wullschlager said.

He added that City Hall had gotten a number of calls from people who own second homes in the area.

“They don’t have eyes on the ground and they want us to be that for them,” Wullschlager said. “Like the people with second homes, I can’t keep an eye on my home and do my job.”

Related: Over 1,100 buildings threatened by La Pine wildfire

Deschutes County Commissioner Tony DeBone lives in La Pine, and spent part of Tuesday evening after the fire started at the Red Cross opened a shelter at La Pine High School.

“Hopefully this thing will lay down and they can start mopping up. But, we know this is a critical time,” he said. “Community members are talking amongst each other and supporting each other.”

Helwig said people have been coming together and networking within the community to provide support for their affected neighbors.

“It really shows La Pine has a solid community foundation,” she added, “The tragedy it seems, is bringing the community quickly, closer together.”