LA PINE, Ore. – Evacuations decreased in all areas surrounding the Darlene Fire yesterday afternoon and
residents can now return to their homes and property. At 4:33 p.m. on Friday, July 16, the Deschutes County
Sheriff’s Office and Klamath County Sheriff’s Office, in coordination with fire managers, adjusted
evacuation levels as follows:
• All residences south of La Pine off of Darlene Way to the Deschutes/Klamath County Line including Old Ice
Cave Rd have been reduced from a Level 3 (Go Now) Evacuation Notice to a Level 2 (Get Set) Evacuation
notice.
• Areas south of the Deschutes/Klamath County line including most of township 23 east of Hwy 97, Sun
Forest Estates, Split Rail, and Antelope Meadows, have been reduced from a Level 2 (Get Set) Evacuation
Notice to a Level 1 (Be Ready) Pre-Evacuation notice.
Fire crews continued to work around the perimeter of the Darlene fire, extinguishing hot spots and
strengthening containment lines; containment increased from 5% to 35% and the fire remained at 686
acres. Containment is expected to increase Saturday, with low winds and favorable humidity levels
forecasted.
The Northwest Incident Management Team 6 hosted a community meeting with agency administrators
last night. Community members were able receive answers to questions and many expressed gratitude
for the firefighting efforts. Visit the Deschutes National Forest Facebook page for videos and summaries.
Evacuations: https://www.deschutes.org/sheriff/page/emergency-information
Closures and Fire Restrictions:
Bureau of Land Management/US Forest Service: All open fires are prohibited. All the units are at an
Industrial Fire Precaution Level 3 (IFPL 3). Commercial and private firewood cutting is no longer
permitted. These units will be moving to an IFPL 4 as of Saturday morning at 12:01 a.m. Information is
available at https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/deschutes/alerts-notices.
Oregon Department of Forestry: Central Oregon is in regulated closure www.odfcentraloregon.com.
Walker Range: Walker Range is also in Regulated Closure www.walkerrange.org.
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