Cedar Creek Fire nearly doubles in size, pushes smoke to Bend

As a precaution, the forest is closing the entire Waldo Lake Wilderness area as the fire is headed in that direction.

The fire is about 12 miles east of the town of Oakridge, said Kris Eriksen, a wildfire spokesperson for the Willamette National Forest.

“As long as the fire continues its move north and east, smoke will be an issue in communities to the north and east like Bend and Sisters,” Eriksen said. “Smoke often settles into low-lying areas and river corridors overnight. The public is advised to ensure all windows and doors are securely closed in the evening and early morning hours to limit smoke exposure.”

On the Deschutes National Forest, fire crews continue to battle the Green Butte Fire, which is located on the Bend-Fort Rock Ranger District and is currently 0% contained as of Thursday morning.

The 30-acre fire, which started Tuesday, is about 13 miles southeast of La Pine and about 2 miles northeast of Spring Butte, did not change much overnight Wednesday to Thursday, according to Kaitlyn Webb, a spokesperson for the region’s wildfire information service.

Webb said the Green Butte Fire is burning near an area on the Deschutes National Forest called Green Butte, which is close to Spring Butte.

“There wasn’t any activity overnight, and everything is really the same this morning,” Webb said Thursday. “We will see how the fire acts today with the warm conditions we have forecast.”

Currently, resources assigned to the fire include the Prineville Hotshots, two hand crews, four engines, three water tenders, and one dozer, officials with the Ochoco and Deschutes National Forests said in a news release Thursday.

According to the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, the Bend area is currently experience moderate air quality on the Air Quality Index.

The air quality in Redmond, Sisters, and Madras is good, while Sunriver, La Pine, and Prineville are moderate.