"Darlene 3" Fire Grows to Over 3800 Acres in La Pine, Oregon

A wildfire burning in central Oregon near the city of La Pine, known as the Darlene 3 Fire is rapidly growing forcing evacuations for the community, as of Wednesday afternoon, it is over 3800 acres but containment is up to 30%. There is no word on the cause of the fire which started approximately one mile southeast of La Pine on the east side of Darlene Way. Deschutes County Sheriff's Office issued evacuation orders for multiple zones in Southeast La Pine and there is an evacuation shelter at the La Pine High School.

RED FLAG warnings have been dropped after a day of high fire danger in Western Oregon and Idaho into California and Nevada. However, please avoid burning anything as even a small spark could start a wildfire through the next few days, regardless of incoming moisture.

There is the opportunity for a bit of incoming moisture with an area of low pressure off the Pacific. This will create more wind and lightning than it will rainfall, but higher humidity will help firefighters gain the upper hand, hopefully, through the day today. We anticipate lightning to potentially create additional fires so please report any smoke to authorities quickly.