Fire crews started the prescribed burn around 11 a.m. on Tuesday.  

It is being conducted along China Hat Road between the Deschutes National Forest boundary and Horse Butte, near the Woodside Ranch Subdivision.

They are trying to recue fuels in that area and create a defenseible space to protect the nearby homes.

A lot of people are concerned about the large plumes of smoke, but the Forest Service assures us it is a controlled prescribed burn.