In this supplied photo, firefighters respond to the Falls Fire northwest of Burns on Aug. 5, 2024.
Courtesy U.S. Forest Service via InciWeb
Cooler temperatures and rain have slowed down wildfires threatening 6,000 structures in Central Oregon Wednesday.
Mt. Bachelor resort and other public lands were under Level 3, “Go Now” evacuation notices. Parts of the community of Sunriver bordering Deschutes National Forest were under a Level 2 – “Get Set” evacuation notice. Areas east of that zone, bordering Highway 97 between Bend and La Pine, were under Level 1– “Get Ready” notices.
For real-time updates to evacuation notices, visit Deschutes County’s emergency map.
Firefighters from all over the Pacific Northwest began to descend on the Bachelor Complex, Flat Top and Firestone fires Tuesday. Misti-Kae Bucich is a spokesperson for the Northwest Incident Management Team 3.
“They are working more on a defensive fire attack strategy instead of offensive,” said Bucich. “The weather is working in our favor.”
She said the night shift of firefighters made progress on the Backside fire Tuesday and into Wednesday. That fire is part of the Bachelor Complex, and has prompted the closure of Mt. Bachelor Resort.
“While the fires are in the vicinity, I want to reassure you that Mt. Bachelor is not threatened at this time,” the resort’s president and general manager John Merriman said in a statement.
He thanked firefighters and said the resort would remain closed through at least Thursday.
The Bachelor Complex includes about 30 wildfires burning about 20 miles southwest of Bend, most of which are less than one acre, according to fire managers. The largest fire in the Complex is the Little Lava Fire, which was threatening Sunriver.
The Firestone and Flat Top Fires are burning on the other side of Highway 97, near Fort Rock and southeast of Bend. One outbuilding has been destroyed in that area so far, Bucich said. Details about the type of structure were not immediately available.
Fire managers were hoping to gain more ground before hotter, drier conditions are expected to return to the region Thursday, Bucich said.
A community meeting about the fires is planned for Wednesday, 6 p.m. in the cafeteria of the Three Rivers Elementary School, 56900 Enterprise Dr, Sunriver, OR 97707.
This story may be updated.