Cooler weather and a morning rain shower helped wildland firefighters keep a lid on the Little Lava Fire on Wednesday, which exploded in size on Tuesday, threatening people and property in Sunriver.

Large portions of Sunriver remained at a Level 2-Be Set evacuation order on Wednesday, with over 6,000 residences threatened.

Katie Warren, a spokesperson for Sunriver Police, said some people have left the area while others have stayed.

“We don’t have a ton of change from yesterday at this point. The weather may be helping us out on that,” Warren said Wednesday.

More coverage

Encroaching wildfire puts Sunriver residents on edge

The fire perimeter was approximately 8 or 9 miles from Sunriver, said Stan Hinatsu, a spokesperson for Northwest Incident Management Team-3, the team managing this fire.

On Tuesday it crossed Forest Road 45 between Mount Bachelor and Sunriver. The perimeter was between Kuamaksi Butte and north of Lolo Butte, said Kaitlyn Webb, a spokesperson for the Deschutes National Forest.

The fire had burned 10,800 acres as of Wednesday, Hinatsu said. Around 170 firefighters were fighting the blaze. Dozer lines have been built to slow the spread of the fire and firefighters worked overnight to control the blaze.

Hinatsu said there is an extensive road network in the area, allowing firefighters to enter the area on the ground with no need for people to repel into the fire zone by helicopter, as happens in more rugged and roadless areas.

Tuesday the fire “was an active running fire, but today it is down significantly. There are some flames and smoldering, but it’s not running through the crowns like it was yesterday, mostly just ground fire,” he said.

Sunriver Police have been updating the community through social media channels. Warren said the department is in contact with elderly people and those with mobility issues to respond to questions and help if needed.

The Three Rivers School in Sunriver remained open on Wednesday, said Scott Maben, a spokesperson for the Bend-La Pine School District.

The La Pine Community Center has been designated as a shelter for families needing to leave the area. A public meeting was scheduled for 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Three Rivers Elementary School cafeteria in Sunriver.

Level 3-Go Now orders remained in place for Mt. Bachelor and forested areas south of the mountain resort due to the nearby Backside Fire, one of around 30 fires in the area that make up the Bachelor Complex Fire.

Mt. Bachelor ski area will remain closed on Thursday due to the Level 3 evacuation order. Presley Quon, a spokesperson for the resort, said no infrastructure on the mountain has been damaged.

Other fires on the Deschutes National Forest also saw significant growth on Tuesday.

The Flat Top Fire east of La Pine, driven by wind, grew to 30,643 acres. Fire crews have been building fire lines and aircraft dropped fire retardant to slow fire growth and protect the Cabin Lake Guard Station, which remains secure, according to fire officials.

The Firestone Fire, near Pine Mountain, also burned intensively Tuesday, driven by wind. It was 8,787 acres on Wednesday.

In Eastern Oregon, the The Rail Ridge Fire grew to 161,675 acres as of Wednesday. More than 1,000 people have been assigned to the fire, which is burning in the John Day River drainage. Two other blazes have also burned more than 100,000 acres in Eastern Oregon, the Battle Mountain Complex, 183,000 acres and the Falls Fire, 152,000 acres.

— Information from the Blue Mountain Eagle is included in this report.

More coverage

Fire update: Sunriver under Level 2 evacuations as Little Lava Fire grows