[La Pine, Ore.] Today firefighters completed mop-up on the
Bridge Drive Fire located in the Lazy River Sub-Division north of LaPine,
Oregon. The fire was reported at 2:30 p.m.
on Wednesday, May 8th burning in small Ponderosa Pine, brush and
grass. Warm temperatures, low humidity,
and dry fuel conditions caused the fire to quickly grow within a few hours to
11.9 acres before firefighters were able to control the spread. The cause of the fire was determined to be a
backyard debris burn.
Firefighters will
continue to patrol the fire area over the weekend. Oregon Department of Forestry was assisted by
Deschutes National Forest, Bureau of Land Management, Redmond Hot Shots, LaPine
Rural Fire Department, Walker Range Fire Patrol, and numerous structural
agencies from the area in the suppression and mop-up effort.
The Deschutes County
Sheriff implemented Level 3 evacuations for the area around the fire during
initial attack. One home was destroyed
by the fire. All evacuation levels have
been lifted at this time.
When burning always
have fire tools and water present.
Consider no burn options such as chipping or off-site disposal when
cleaning up yard debris or material from fuel reduction projects. A landowner who is found to be negligent while
burning may be held responsible for suppression costs as well as be subject to
citations. Open burning may be banned in
some areas as weather warms and fire growth potential increases. Check with your local fire department or
Oregon Department of Forestry before conducting debris burning. If you burned earlier this spring or winter
check your burn area to make sure it is cool to the touch. As weather warms burn piles can sometimes
rekindle and ignite surrounding fuels.
May is Wildfire
Awareness Month. Take the time now to
prepare you and your family for a wildfire.
These steps can include developing an evacuation plan, creating
defensible space around your home, changing air filters within your home to
help reduce smoke impacts, and finding ways to keep up to date with
restrictions and prevention measures in your community.
For additional
information on ODF’s Central Oregon District, including contact information,
burn permit requests, and local Unit offices, please visit www.ODFcentraloregon.com.