BEND, OR -- Bend Fire crews have been kept busy by drying fuels and windy conditions. About four hours after extinguishing a small brush fire in the Hillside Park Neighborhood, Wednesday, firefighters responded to another blaze less than a mile away.

The fire near NW Juniper and Portland Ave. was reported just after 1 p.m. Arriving crews found juniper shrubs on fire, directly in front of the house. Neighbors were applying water from a garden hose, and firefighters quickly knocked down the blaze. Damage to the home was minimal, totaling about $1,000. 

Like the fire earlier in the day, authorities say this one was human caused, although no further determination could be made. They note grasses and brush are drying out fast, and juniper landscaping bushes are especially flammable ... releasing significant heat energy when they burn.