A wildfire just east of the Redmond Airport is 25% contained, fire officials said Sunday evening.
On Saturday afternoon, the McCaffery Fire spurred Level 3 — GO NOW — evacuations for an area along the Deschutes and Crook County line, including a subdivision in the Powell Butte area. All evacuations have now been downgraded to a Level 2 — BE SET — status, though fire officials urged residents of the area to remain vigilant in case of a change in status or fire behavior.
The blaze has charred 458 acres, according to Central Oregon Fire Info.
"Firefighters caught a few spot fires outside of containment lines today but held all fires at under 1 acre with the support of helicopters cooling hot spots," the organization reported on social media Sunday evening.
A few local roads in the area remain closed, but Oregon Hwy 126 was open. The Redmond Airport, which was closed to passenger airline flights for several hours on Saturday to allow priority use by firefighting aircraft, is open and operating normally.
Although fire crews made progress, weather conditions remain hot and dry in the area.
According to the National Weather Service, Redmond experienced a record high temperature on Sunday of 103 F, breaking the old record of 100 F for July 7, which was set in 1968. Central Oregon remains under an "Excessive Heat Warning" until at least Wednesday evening.
