The Lower Deck Fires is burning near the Deschutes River on lands belonging to the Bureau of Land Management and the Warm Springs Reservation. The fire is estimated at 500 acres according to the Central Oregon Interagency Dispatch Center.
The fire started around 5 p.m. Thursday near the Warm Springs Casino and burned east crossing the Deschutes River. The fire has cut off access to Mecca Flats Campground that is now under a Level 3 evacuation notice according to the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office.
Hwy 26 is closed in Warm Springs blocking all traffic to the east. On the Madras side, the highway is closed at the top of the grade near Danube just past Columbia. Jefferson County Fire District has activated a fire task force and resources are on the scene from across central Oregon.
People are asked to avoid the area while fire crews work.
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