Ochoco National Forest plans prescribed burn, cites fire season benefits

PRINEVILLE, Ore. -- The Ochoco National Forest is continuing its long-term efforts to reduce hazardous fuels and improve forest health through a planned prescribed burn in the HEJ unit 10 on Monday, pending favorable weather and fuel conditions.

Saturday, Oct 17, 2026

Oregon Dept. of Forestry reducing fire risk, improving forest health with $10 million investment

Tuesday, Oct 13, 2026

Prescribed burn planned Thursday 9 miles NW of Crescent

Wednesday, Sep 30, 2026

Deschutes National Forest to begin fall prescribed burning

BEND, Ore. —Deschutes National Forest firefighters plan to start fall understory prescribed burning season as early as next Tuesday, if conditions are favorable.

Friday, Sep 25, 2026

Central Oregon public lands to end Stage 1 public use fire restrictions on Friday

BEND, Ore. — Fire officials on the Deschutes and Ochoco National Forests, Crooked River National Grassland and Prineville District BLM will rescind Stage 1 Public Use Fire Restrictions on Friday at 12:01 a.m. due to increased moisture, cooler temperatures and decreased daylight hours.

Thursday, Sep 24, 2026

Repair work the focus on 2-month-old Rowe Creek Complex

PRINEVILLE, Ore.— Repair work around the Conant and 0594 fires has been completed and resources have been moved to tasks on other fire areas, Rowe Creek Complex officials said in Saturday's update.

Sunday, Sep 20, 2026

C.O. fire officials reduce public use restrictions to Stage 1

BEND, Ore. – Fire officials on the Deschutes and Ochoco National Forests, Crooked River National Grassland and Prineville District BLM will reduce to Stage 1 Public Use Fire Restrictions due to increased moisture and cooler temperatures.

Friday, Sep 4, 2026

Eugene Springfield Fire stops vegetation fire near Mt Vernon neighborhood

Wednesday, Aug 12, 2026

Crews gain ground on 373,000-acre Rowe Creek Complex

Firefighters successfully secured several trouble spots overnight on the massive Rowe Creek Complex, which has now burned 373,179 acres. The lightning-caused blaze was 79 percent contained as of Tuesday night, as 1,660 personnel work to strengthen barriers.

Wednesday, Aug 12, 2026

Seconds matter: Lebanon crews stop fast-moving fire on Hwy. 34

Tuesday, Aug 11, 2026

More challenges for Rowe Creek Complex Fire crews

PRINEVILLE, Ore. -- Here's Sunday night's update on the nearly 368,000-acre Rowe Creek Complex east of Prineville, where active behavior and shifting winds made for more challenging times for hundreds of firefighters:

Saturday, Aug 8, 2026

Warm Springs, Jefferson County lift all Bench Fire evacuation notices

WARM SPRINGS, Ore. -- All evacuation notices have been lifted on the Bench Fire that broke out nearly two weeks ago on the Warm Springs Indian Reservation, destroying at least six homes and several outbuildings, authorities said Wednesday.

Wednesday, Aug 5, 2026

Central Oregon Fire Info updates for Tuesday, July 28

REDMOND, Ore. -- Here are Tuesday's wildfire updates, as posted to the Central Oregon Fire Info page:

Wednesday, Jul 29, 2026

'Active to extreme fire behavior' still challenging Warm Springs battle

WARM SPRINGS, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Here's Tuesday's full update on the destructive 45,200-acre Bench Fire that has destroyed several homes and outbuildings on the Warm Springs Indian Reservation.

Wednesday, Jul 29, 2026

Crews across region fight to stop 15 new fires at small sizes

Central Oregon —Today (Friday), firefighters responded to 15 additional reported wildfires while continuing to suppress the 50 existing wildfires that started over the past two days.

Saturday, Jul 25, 2026

Deschutes Wilderness Areas Added to Stage 1 Public Use Fire Restrictions Starting July 20

Sunday, Jul 19, 2026

Lightning sparks several wildfires across region; some prompt evacuations

(Update: New acreage figures; ODF sends management team)

Friday, Jul 17, 2026

Oregon Dept. of Forestry using tech to enhance wildfire response

SALEM, Oregon – As technology evolves, so does the Oregon Department of Forestry. ODF continues to adapt and integrate technological advancements into their work.

Thursday, Jul 16, 2026

Flat Fire evacuee pivots remodeling business to home fire hardening

SISTERS, Ore. (Bend Bugle) – Home remodeler Adam Payne, his wife and two young daughters were among the thousands evacuated for several days late last August due to the Flat Fire northeast of Sisters that burned over 23,000 acres, destroyed five homes and a dozen other structures and cost some $29 million to put out.

Tuesday, Jul 7, 2026

Could fire and ember safe vents help save your home from wildfire?

BEND, Ore. (BBB) – With a severe drought setting up a dangerous wildfire season across much of the nation – including Central Oregon – some businesses are offering ways to help homeowners and builders go beyond familiar “defensible space” efforts and boost the odds of surviving the fire next time – a process known as “home hardening.”Some High Desert residents recently received a flyer from Deschutes Roofing that not only offered a free “wildfire protection assessment,” but also mentioned a new-home or retrofit option called Vulcan Vents, which describes their roof, foundation and other home vents as “fire and ember safe.”For the past 17 years, Vulcan Vent products have been manufactured by a Loomis, California company called New Cal Metals Inc.They were featured on This Old House and Ask This Old House, as part of a series focused on a crew helping rebuild parts of Paradise, California after their devastating wildfires.The vents are designed to help protect homes in high-risk fire zones. They combine a stainless steel mesh that stops flying embers with an intumescent (heat-expanding) honeycomb matrix that swells and completely seals the opening, keeping flames or embers from getting into attics or crawlspaces.Nate Oliver, marketing director for the company, pointed out where the need arises, from vents that are a standard way to enable homes to “breathe” and not accumulate moisture or mold.“You can have a brick house with armored cladding, a metal roof – nothing combustible on the outside,” he said. “Then we put holes in the building so they can breathe” – but when a wildfire approaches, “embers fly around at the frequency and volume of snow in a winter storm,” sometimes traveling miles.“The houses ‘breathe’ in the embers, combust stuff on the inside of the home, so the homes burn from the inside out,” Oliver said.Oliver also shared a link to a feature story from the National Fire Protection Association focusing on a Grizzly Flats, California homeowner who took numerous steps to make his home fire-resistant. It was one of about 150 homes to survive the August 2021 Caldor Fire - which destroyed 450 others.New Cal Metals makes two kinds of vents – Vulcan, which is for flame and ember protection, and a less-costly option called Firestorm, which Oliver said is more about protecting against flying embers than flames.The manufacturers also don’t install or do the labor, which he acknowledged is the lion’s share of the cost.A 6-by-14-inch standard foundation vent in the home might cost about $40, and with 20 to 25 vents on a typical home, so it can add up. The Firestorm option for the same vent is about $12, he said.Oliver noted that for those 17 years in business, the main competitor is called Brandguard, which uses metal baffles with interlocking chambers, a maze that is harder for embers to go through.New Cal Metals has no retailer sales outside of California, instead selling to distributors like lumber yards and Ace Hardware.Vulcan VentsVulcan Vents are available in a variety of typesCity of Bend adopts new state building code on 'home hardening'Tom Mooney, fire marshal for Redmond Fire & Rescue, said he can’t speak to the product itself, but that “looking over the details, it does meet the requirements for home hardening for wildfire protection for vents.”New Cal’s Oliver said products like theirs are now required in California for all new construction, while local jurisdictions in states like Oregon and Texas require them, not just typical mesh vents.Earlier this year, the Bend City Council adopted a section of Oregon’s Residential Specialty Code that sets home-hardening requirements to improve wildfire resilience for new single-family homes. The new requirements took effect in mid-May.Bend Fire & Rescue Deputy Fire Marshal Dan Derlacki said that in general, “home hardening is a great way to help protect your home from wildfire.” He noted that the agency provides free home assessments, along with other information and the link to a form to request a visit.Local roofer sees new vents' tradeoffs: 'A house has to breathe'The role of vent upgrades in reducing wildfire risk is complex and evolving amid higher fire danger.Hobie Smith is director of sales and marketing at Greenlee Roofing, a family-owned Bend business. He says they are skeptical about claims that the new generation of vents prove better for structures overall, because it also will impact crucial airflow.“From a roofer’s perspective, it’s controversial, having proper ventilation,” Smith said. “A home needs to breathe. You need proper ratios of (air) intake vs. output for a home. Right now, it’s about 50/50, so your electric bill is not crazy high in the wintertime, and in the summer it’s not crazy high, either.”Most foundation vents being installed currently have 1/8th inch mesh, half of what the Vulcan Vent density is, he explained.“Even an 8th  (mesh) is tight. I think it’s necessary for (keeping out) embers,” he said. “But when we talk about going to something like Vulcan, at 1/16th, you are absolutely compromising airflow at that point. So roofers are going to start to grit their teeth, because you want a home and an attic to breathe.”“We as a company are skeptical on it providing the proper amount of ventilation that homes in our area need,” Smith explained. “Because we are in the High Desert, and we have that high-to-low temperature change and that crazy fluctuation from the early mornings to mid-afternoons, a home – and an attic specifically – has to breathe.”Smith said he personally backs home hardening, and says products such as Vulcan Vents could be beneficial. “I think if it actually does what they say it’s going to do, and still provides the airflow that’s necessary, we are totally on board.”However, Smith also said a home in the path of a fire that fierce likely wouldn’t be saved by such upgrades anyway: “if a fire is close enough to expel embers that are small enough to get into your attic, your house is absolutely toast already.”

Wednesday, Jul 1, 2026