Bend Fire Department released findings Wednesday morning, tracing the cause of the Mile Marker 132 fire in northeast Bend back to a “cooking fire” at a camp on a vacant, privately owned 13-acre lot at 64010 N. Highway 97. According to Bend Fire’s press release, the person who was camping at the property remains unknown.
The fire, which started on Fri., Aug. 2 off Hwy 97 burned 78 acres before firefighters could contain it and led to evacuation orders for many in surrounding subdivisions. Due to the proximity of homes and power transmission lines, air and ground crews worked quickly to combat the flames in a coordinated effort with support at multiple levels, even using Federal Emergency Management Agency funds to help with the costs.
In a fire season on track to break records for the state, this fire was only the eighth time this year that FEMA approved a Fire Management Assistance Grant for Oregon.
As of Wednesday at 4pm all evacuation orders are lifted, according to the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office.
This story was updated to reflect current evacuation levels.
This article appears in Source Weekly August 1, 2024.
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Meanwhile, the Mayor, the City, the County and the Forest Service refuse to do what we all know needs doing! Get these people out of these areas! Grow a backbone and protect this community! Stop dancing around this issue with the same old ‘homeless’ diatribe. These people do not belong out there. They are a danger to this community. LaPine nearly burned to the ground this year. Marker 132 could have wiped out the North end of Bend! What are you people waiting for? Lead! That’s what we elected you to do! Force the laws! You waiting for people to die?
Our public, and quite often PRIVATE, lands are being taken over by people with no regard for this community and have zero interest in using shelters we have paid millions for! People with mental issues and whacked out on drugs are not ‘homeless’. These are two different issues.
FIX THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The answer: Safe managed facilities for camping and parking.
A 9-acre area just east of Bend donated by the very generous and civi-minded Gales family is now under active consideration by the Deschutes County Commission. Other well-detailed proposals have been submitted for fire-safe areas on County property in Juniper Ridge.
To reduce fire danger and to provide stability and access to services that 100’s of our unhoused neighbors desperately need, we should urge our County Commissioners and City Councilors to approve and fund initiatives such as these.
What better way to invest in our community?
I also say GET THE HOMELSS OFF OF ANY AND ALL OFFF OUR VACANT LAND AND FORESTS !!!!!! BEFORE THEY BURN OREGON 🔥 UP !!!!!!! JUST DO IT !!!! GET IT FIXED !!!!!! HAVE SOME BALLS AND GET DONE WHAT NEEDS DONE !!!!! OREGONIANS AND OUR LAND SHOULDN’T HAVE TO BURN UP, BECAUSE YOU CAN’T DO YOU’RE JOB !!!!!!!!!!!! YOU FINALLY GOT THEM OFF CHINA HAT, NOW FINISH YOU’RE JOB !!!!!!