UPDATE: At 9 p.m. Thursday, the Deschutes County Sheriff announced that most evacuations associated with the Hidden Forest Fire had been reduced or removed entirely.
"Fire crews made strong progress throughout the afternoon and have successfully stopped the fire’s forward movement," the Sheriff's Office wrote in a Facebook post. "Thanks to an aggressive aerial attack using retardant from air tankers and water from helicopter drops, crews were able to slow the fire significantly. Ground resources then built a line around the fire and secured the perimeter."
As of Friday evening, the following evacuations remain in effect:
Remaining in Level 3 (Go Now)
EAS 701 North side of 18 rd between the 1819 rd and Horse Ridge Rd 2015.
Reduced to Level 1 (Be Ready).
EAS 702-B Horse Ridge Frontage Rd area.
Remaining in Level 1 (Be Ready)
EAS 702-A remains in Level 1 (Be Ready) Ft. Rock Rd and Hwy 20 area, West of Spencer well Rd
Reduced to normal status
LAP 569-A and LAP 569-B, South of the 18 Rd.
EARLIER UPDATE: As of 5:37 p.m., the size of the fire is 297 acres, according to Central Oregon Fire Info. All evacuations remain in effect.
Original story:
Evacuations are in effect for a wildfire that sparked about 13 miles southeast of Bend.
The fire broke out off China Hat Road in the Arnold Ice Cave area, which is frequented by visitors and tourists, according to the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office.
The sheriff’s office has issued Level 3 “GO NOW” evacuations around Arnold Ice Cave and Level 2, “BE SET,” evacuations west of Highway 20 in the areas of Fuzztail and Swamp Wells Buttes. There is also a Level 1 "BE READY" evacuation notice for Fort Rock Road south of Horse Ridge and west of Highway 20.
The sheriff's office said no homes or subdivisions are currently in an evacuation zone.
The fire is about 50 acres in size. Local officials have named the incident the Hidden Forest Fire.