LA PINE, OR -- Firefighters continue to make progress on the Darlene 3 Fire, near La Pine. Friday morning, fire managers said acreage had held at 3,889 overnight, while containment increased to 42%.
Cool temperatures Friday morning caused smoke to settle in the area. La Pine Fire is distributing N95 and KN95 masks to residents sensitive to smoke or who have a respiratory condition. Masks are available at any La Pine fire station or the administration building.
At Thursday's daily briefing, Incident Commander Robert Newey said the fire grew Wednesday, "We had a really big push from the southern flank. And with the wind event coming in from the west, it really pushed hard towards the east. We gained significant acres over the daytime." But, he noted that growth was away from populated areas, "Fire did significantly impact Finley Butte area and some of the infrastructure around that area. However, I want to emphasize how successful the crews were and how much work they put in to be able to secure that area."
The fire has burned into areas previously treated to reduce fuels; officials say those efforts slowed the fire’s growth in those areas. Steve Chapman, with the State Fire Marshal’s Red Team, says growth on the south side impacted some critical infrastructure, "Cell towers and some private property. We already had crews in there and they were able to do some really good work, in conjunction with our wildland partners, which carried into [Wednesday] evening." Other areas are seeing frequent firefighter patrols. "Four task forces out there working along the west and the north side of the fire where we’ll be doing some structure prep," said Chapman, "Which includes removal of light fuels around structures up in the Newberry Estates area."A small portion of the evacuation zone’s northern area was reduced to Level Two “Be Set” yesterday, although much of the east side of La Pine remains under Level Three. Click HERE for the latest evacuation map.
A virtual community meeting is scheduled for 4 p.m. Friday, livestreamed on the Deschutes County Sheriff's Office Facebook page. It will also be streamed at the evacuation center at La Pine High School.
12:30 p.m. UPDATE -- As of 12:00 pm Friday, the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office has reduced the evacuation level for Newberry Estates from Level 3 (Go Now) to a Level 2 (Be Set). Additionally, the area west of Hwy 97 and north of Burgess Road has been reduced to no evacuation status. As residents return to their homes, fire personnel ask that community members remain vigilant for emergency response vehicles traveling to and from the fire, and to give fire apparatus plenty of room especially as smoke in low-lying areas may affect visibility. A Level 3 evacuation order remains in effect for parts of the Deschutes National Forest, and fire personnel are asking residents and visitors to adhere to area closures that are still in effect.
