CULVER, Ore. – A new wildfire grew to about 20-30threatened 15-20 or more structures west of Culver in the Three Rivers area at midday Saturday, prompting a callout of a Deschutes County wildland protection task force, officials said.

The vegetation fire, Incident 927, later named the Prospect Fire, was reported Saturday morning in the 6800 block of Southwest Prospect View Drive, Watch Duty said.

Lake Chinook Fire & Rescue crews were first on scene, reporting the fire was 5-10 acres, “running and torching with multiple structures threatened and structure protection requested.”

Lake Chinook crews were called to the fire around 10:45 a.m. and arrived to find it about five acres in size, with a moderate rate of spread, and requested mutual aid, Crook River Ranch Fire Chief Sean Hartley, chief of the Jefferson County Fire Defense Board, told the Bugle.

By around 1:30 p.m., the fire’s size was estimated at 30-40 acres, Hartley said. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

The mutual aid requests included calling in both wildland task forces from Deschutes County, as well as Crook and Jefferson counties. The Oregon Department of Forestry also had engine crews on scene and was sending a bulldozer to help stop the fire’s spread, Harley said.

“We are making good progress on the fire,” Hartley said. Also helping: The firefighters encountered light winds, which he said “for this time of year is unusual.”

The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office issued this Level 2 BE SET Alert around 12:30 p.m.; watch this Frontier 911 alert page for updates:

Wildfire alert from Jefferson County sheriffs office

Level 2 BE SET to evacuate from the zone of Lake Billy Chinook, two red purple.

Be ready to evacuate at a moment’s notice. Find resources at wildfire.oregon.gov. Act early if there is any reason you might need extra time. Leave right away if you feel you are in immediate danger.

If conditions change quickly, this may be the only alert you receive," the alert concluded.

The Oregon Department of Forestry just days ago announced the end of fire season in its districts statewide. Lake Chinook Fire opened outdoor burning on Wednesday, with a valid 2026-27 burn permit.