June 26, 2024 6:20 a.m.

Tuesday afternoon Oregon Governor Tina Kotek invoked the Emergency Conflagration Act for the Darlene 3 Fire burning near La Pine in Deschutes County.

A release from the Oregon State Fire Marshal said the fire sparked around 2:00 p.m., one mile south of La Pine on the east side of Darlene Way. The fire was initially estimated to be 250 acres in size. The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office has levels 3 and 2 evacuations in place near the fire. The Oregon State Fire Marshal Red Incident Management Team has been activated along with two structural task forces from Linn and Marion counties. OSFM has mobilized four additional task forces as well.

OSFM Fire Marshal Mariana Ruiz-Temple said, “This fire has quickly grown with the last few hours, pushed by gusty winds and high fire conditions. This Emergency Conflagration Act allows us to send the full power of the Oregon fire service to protect life and property”. Ruiz-Temple said, “As we enter the hot and dry summer months, I am asking Oregonians to do everything they can to prevent wildfires”.

For more information, check out the Central Oregon Fire Info blog: https://centraloregonfire.org/