Miller, Cascade & Summit schools closed tomorrow

Published 9:17 pm Sunday, June 8, 2014

This view from Pilot Butte shows the Two Bulls Fire burning west of Bend in June 2014.

As the Two Bulls Fire continues to burn this evening, Bend-La Pine Schools has announced there will be no school tomorrow at Miller Elementary, Cascade Middle and Summit High schools.

All other schools will be open. Finals will be rescheduled and students should visit their school websites for more information. Central Oregon Community College will be open for finals on Monday.

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Earlier this evening, the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office dropped its Level III evacuation advisory for Saddleback subdivision. The Level III evacuation advisory is still in place for those who live on Skyliners Road. Saddleback is now part of the Level II evacuation advisory, which means residents must be ready to leave at a moment’s notice. The Sheriff’s Office will continue to patrol the area and proof of residency will be required at road blocks to reenter the area.

The fire remains at 6,180 acres and at 0% containment. An update on size and containment is expected this evening.

According to a release this morning from the Central Oregon Interagency Dispatch Center, more than 300 firefighters worked overnight on the fire. Today crews have focused on protecting structures in the area, creating containment lines and keeping the fire from moving to the south and the east toward town. Other suppression efforts have focused on the western flank of the fire, which is closest to the City of Bend watershed.

Lisa Clark, spokeswoman for the Central Oregon Interagency Dispatch Center in Prineville, said 13 bulldozers are at work with other personnel building a “preliminary line down the east side and southern edge of the fire.”

“We will need to do a lot of improvement and hold it through the heat and wind this afternoon before we feel comfortable with it,” Clark added.

Deschutes County Public Communications Coordinator Anna Johnson announced this afternoon that a Facebook page is now devoted to the Two Bulls Fire.

Sheriff’s Office Level I, Level II and Level III evacuation notices are still in effect. The Level II notice, which asks residents to be ready to leave at a moment’s notice, is for residents of the Saddleback subdivision, as well as south of Shevlin Park Road, west of Mt. Washington Drive and north of Century Drive. The Level I notice, which asks people to prepare and be ready to evacuate, is for residents in the rest of Northwest Crossing, as well as the area north of Shevlin Park and west of Mt. Washington Drive.

Level III evacuation is still in place for those on Skyliners Road outside the city, which means residents should evacuate immediately.

Roads around the evacuated areas are closed to the public.

The Bend Park & Recreation District has also closed Shevlin Park until further notice, and any use of parks or trails in the areas on pre-evacuation notice is also discouraged. The park district may close trails and parks in the area at any time without notice.

Last night, the American Red Cross Cascades Region relocated its shelter from Cascade Middle School, on the city’s west side, to High Desert Middle School, which is located at 61111 27th St., in Bend. Anyone affected by the wildfire can go to the shelter, which is manned with volunteers and staff and has snacks, water and information available.

The city of Bend has also shut off surface water and is using groundwater wells until authorities can assess the Bridge Creek watershed. Residents are asked to conserve water during this time.

The fire now has an incident page that can be checked for updates: inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/3889.

To receive emergency notifications from Deschutes County 911, go to this website and register your cell phone number. The Citizen Emergency Notification System allows county officials to send a message describing the situation and recommending action, including evacuation.

For more on this developing story, pick up a copy of The Bulletin on Monday morning.

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