BEND, OR -- Firefighters from Bend and Redmond are battling a fast-moving brush fire just off Highway 97, in the area known as Dirt World. The first units were dispatched just before 2:30 Friday afternoon.
Evacuations have been ordered for the Four Seasons and Hilltop mobile home parks, just north of Bend. There are reports of structures and vehicles involved in the fire.
Air resources were ordered and arrived just after 3:30 p.m. when firefighters called for a third alarm.
According to Pacific Power, around 7,500 customers on the north end of Bend are without power, including the KBND studio.UPDATE 3:50 p.m. Juniper Ridge remains under a Level 3 GO NOW evacuation. The Cascade Village Neighborhood has been reduced to Level 1 BE READY. Firefighters estimate the fire is about 10 acres in size.
UPDATE 4:05 p.m. The Deschutes County Sheriff's Office has extended Level 3 GO NOW evacuation orders to the Cascade Village neighborhood, just north of Cooley Road. The incident is now named the Milemarker 132 Fire. Around 14,000 Pacific Power customers are now without power.
UPDATE 4:50 p.m. Evacuation alerts decreased to Level 2 BE SET for the area north of Cooley and east of Highway 97, north to Wagontire Way.
UPDATE 5:15 p.m. The fire is now estimated at 20 acres. The Red Cross has set up a temporary evacuation shelter at Mountain View High School on NE 27th Street in Bend. Aircraft continue to drop water and retardant, including on spot fires.
