PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Another wildfire began Thursday near the Warm Springs Casino, prompting Level 3 “Go Now” evacuations at the Mecca Flat Campground.
Jefferson County Undersheriff Marc Heckathorn said the Lower Deck Fire crossed the Deschutes River and is burning up the hill east of the river. The regional task forces staged in central Oregon were activated to battle the blaze.
Hwy 26 in the area was briefly closed but has since reopened. Mecca Flat Campground is just 1.5 miles from Oregon State Highway 26 near Warm Springs.
The fire is currently estimated at 1300 acres.
The S-503 Fire on the Warm Springs Reservation is still burning, but the evacuation levels were lowered Thursday to Level 1 (Get Ready.) The most recent estimate is the fire has burned 6679 acres.