LA PINE, Oregon — High winds fanned a rapidly growing wildfire outside the central Oregon community of La Pine and prompted evacuations Tuesday.
The fire was estimated to be 2.7 square miles (6.9 square kilometers) in size Tuesday night, Central Oregon Fire Information posted on the social media site X. The fire was growing and was not contained.
Evacuation alerts were sent to 1,100 homes and businesses, said Lt. Jayson Janes of the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office. He said between 50 and 60 people sought shelter at a local high school that was serving as an evacuation center.
It was unclear if any structures had burned.
Gov. Tina Kotek invoked an order allowing the fire chief to mobilize resources to help fight the fire. A billowing plume of black and gray smoke hovered over businesses such as supermarkets and shopping malls.
Jodi Kerr was packing up her gift and home decor store in La Pine so she could evacuate.
“It’s part of the risk of living in an area like this. It’s beautiful, but wild,” said Kerr, owner of Meandering Maker Mercantile.
He said it’s hard to think about people who have spent years building businesses and then worrying about losing it all overnight.
The fire started about a mile south of La Pine. Its cause was under investigation.
Firefighters from the Oregon Central Fire Management Service used bulldozers, or heavy construction equipment adapted to fighting wildfires, to establish control lines around the fire. The planes dropped fire retardant to stop the flames.
La Pine High School served as a temporary evacuation point while La Pine Rodeo Grounds housed a shelter for livestock and small animals.
Television station KTVZ reported that several U.S. Forest Service campgrounds and trails had been evacuated and closed.
La Pine is about 192 miles (309 kilometers) south of Portland.
In Southern California, about 2,500 San Diego residents were under evacuation orders as fire crews used aircraft to attack a fire that broke out Tuesday afternoon near Torrey Pines State Beach. Authorities closed two Interstate 5 exit ramps as winds pushed flames through about 20 acres (8 hectares) of dry brush in a nature preserve and toward homes.
Firefighters working in steep, rugged terrain reached 5% containment and stopped the fire from advancing, officials said around 5 p.m.
Two firefighters were treated for heat exhaustion, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported. An evacuation center was set up at the Del Mar fairgrounds.
Improved weather conditions helped firefighters as they battled a rural wildfire in Northern California that destroyed two structures and threatened the community of Palermo, which is near where The state’s deadliest wildfire. hit six years ago.
The fire spread over about 1 square mile (2.6 square kilometers) in the early afternoon Monday, but remained static Tuesday. Containment reached 25%, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire, said.
Winds have died down, the marine air has brought some cooling and “conditions are favorable,” said Capt. Dan Collins of Cal Fire. The cause of the blaze, dubbed the Apache Fire, was under investigation.
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