BEND, OR -- A grass fire just north of Bend slowed traffic to a crawl on Highway 97 for more than an hour, Thursday afternoon. Firefighters responded just after 3 p.m. and found a slow-moving blaze burning about 200-yards along a narrow strip on the west side of the highway.
One southbound lane was closed while they worked to fight the blaze. With four engines on-scene, crews brought the fire under control within 17 minutes. An Oregon Department of Forestry engine was dispatched, but was canceled before it arrived.
Investigators were unable to determine a cause.