The owner of a property east of Bend had a valid burn permit, but Monday’s work burning ditches got away from them, sparking a fire that covered almost seven acres before it was stopped. Bend Fire & Rescue crews were called around 3:40 p.m. to the escaped burn off the Powell Butte Highway, Bend Fire & Rescue Deputy Fire Marshal Dan Derlacki said.
“The owner was out burning his ditches when the wind carried the fire past his containment and started to spread,” Derlacki said. Crews arrived and worked to stop the spread of the fire before it left the owner’s property. Bend Fire was assisted by Alfalfa Fire, Oregon Department of Forestry and BLM fire crews, as well as Deschutes County sheriff’s deputies for traffic control.
The fire was stopped on the owner’s property, at 6.6 acres, Derlacki said, and no damage to buildings or fences was found. “The fire burning mostly pasture land, with a few trees, brush piles, and brush surrounding the fields burning as well,” the fire official said. Derlacki said the land owners had a current burn permit for burning fields.
