UPDATE 8:30 a.m. Sunday, July 7: The McCaffery Fire burning east of the Redmond Airport is 458 acres and 10% contained, according to Central Oregon Fire Info.

The Redmond Airport, closed Saturday evening to allow for aerial firefighting operations, has reopened.

Level 3 “go now” evacuations remain on place for Sunny Sage Road off of McCaffery Road. A Level 2 “be set” evacuation notice is in place for  the area of west of Powell Butte Estates and south of Powell Butte Highway. 

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UPDATE 7:30 p.m. Saturday, July 6: The McCaffery Fire, 250 acres as of 7:30 p.m. Saturday, forced the closure of the Redmond Airport to allow aerial firefighting efforts just east of the airport. 

“The Redmond Municipal Airport is closing until further notice to dedicate air space to aerial firefighting efforts,” said City of Redmond spokeswoman Heather Cassaro in a release Saturday night. “Passengers are encouraged to contact their air carrier directly for flight status updates and cancellations.”

The terminal remains open, Cassaro said. 

Central Oregon Fire Info, an interagency wildfire information group, said Saturday evening that retardant drops had slowed the spread of the fire. Dozers and engine crews were working on flanking the fire as of 7:30 p.m.

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A brush fire east of Redmond Saturday afternoon quickly grew to 100 acres, pushed southeast by strong winds and forcing Level 3 “go now” evacuations. 

Evacuations were ordered on SE Sunny Sage Way off SE McCaffery Road, and West Powell Butte Estates and the area to the south to Powell Butte Highway.

The McCaffery Fire burning east of the Redmond Airport and south of state Highway 126 was being fought by crews from the Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest Service and Redmond Fire & Rescue. Air tankers and heavy helicopters were on the scene, according to Central Oregon Fire Info, an interagency fire information group. 

The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office urged residents to keep up with current evacuation notices at deschutes.org/Emergency.  

This article will be updated.