Lori Wood was at her home in La Pine's Newberry Estates on Tue., June 25 when she heard a knock on the door around 2 pm. It was the police, alerting her of a nearby fire and the need to immediately evacuate.
Wood, who was home with her two grandchildren and bedridden husband, was stunned.
"I was wondering, 'how are we going to get him out of here?,'" she recalled. "It was just so chaotic."
Wood's husband told her to get someplace safe and leave him. "He said, 'Get the kids and go,'" she recalled with tears in her eyes. "Leave me here."
The fire responsible for the evacuation, known now as the Darlene 3 Fire, began early afternoon on June 25. It prompted rapid evacuations. By 4 pm that same day, the fire was estimated at about 250 acres. Soon, Gov. Tina Kotek invoked the Emergency Conflagration Act for Darlene 3, determining that threats to life, safety and property existed – and that the threat exceeded the capabilities of local firefighting personnel and equipment.
Kotek's declaration allowed the state fire marshal to mobilize firefighters and equipment to assist local resources, including the Oregon State Marshal's Red Incident Management Team and two task forces from Marion and Linn counties.
By 9 pm that night, Darlene 3 exploded to 1,700 acres.
After the police notified Wood of the need to evacuate, she grabbed necessary items such as medications, supplies for her husband, and the couple's dog. Paramedics soon arrived to transport her husband to a hospital in Redmond.
Once her husband was safely evacuated, Wood took her grandkids, ages 7 and 10, to their father's house, which was not in an evacuation zone, and drove to the Red Cross shelter at La Pine High School.
Two days later, Wood was still at the shelter and grateful for the support. She was caring for her and her husband's dog, NuNo. Despite being forced to quickly leave her home and not knowing when she could return, she said her overwhelming emotion was gratitude.
"I've never seen such a group of people come together in such a way," Wood said of her experience since being evacuated. "I'm so humbled and so grateful and honored to be in such an area," she continued, her voice breaking. "It's life changing."
On Wednesday, 35 evacuees, like Wood, stayed the night at the shelter. Local restaurants stepped up to provide meals for those impacted by the fire. By Thursday morning, the shelter had served around 150 meals.
"As long as Level 3 evacuations are in place, we'll stay open," said Alan Underkofler with the Red Cross.
Support like the kind Wood praised from the Red Cross radiated through La Pine. From the rapid fire response to emergency response teams, cooperation and involvement from local residents and out-of-town agencies made a significant difference to those in the fire's path.
Fire Aid
Just down the road from where Wood and others sought refuge, La Pine Elementary School was transformed into the Darlene 3 Fire Command Center. The school, which just a week prior was filled with children looking forward to summer break, was now a bustling camp of fire response teams. Tactical fire maps lined the walls in classrooms where teams of responders strategized day and night.
By Thursday afternoon, Darlene 3 had grown to 3,889 acres with 30% containment. Firefighters focused on strengthening existing lines and continuing efforts to contain the fire while preventing it from burning nearby structures. Nearly a week later, on July 1, the fire had not grown and was 75% contained. As of July 2, the fire was 100% contained.
At its peak, 1,546 structures were threatened and 492 were in a Level 3 "Go Now" evacuation area. There were no reports of structural damage and according to Stacy Long with Central Oregon Fire Management Service, the fire was unlikely to reach structures given the swift response from fire crews.
According to Long, pre-existing fire treatments to the area aided in preventing the spread of fire toward neighboring homes in the early days. Several parts of the forest near Darlene Way were previously treated with thinning, mowing and prescribed burns, which helped slow the fire.
Not Their First Rodeo
Next to the established fire camp where fire responders were living is the La Pine Rodeo grounds, which was housing evacuees' larger animals. The Central Oregon Pet Evacuation Team, or P.E.T., helped residents evacuate and house animals in the days after the fire started.
The P.E.T. team came prepared with crates, litter boxes and food to give out to those in need. By Thursday morning, the team was packing up, moving the few remaining animals in their care to a nearby pet boarding center, Bend Pet Resort, which offered to provide care for any animals displaced by the flames.
In one corner of the rodeo grounds, 17-year-old Kiara Root and her family were staying in a trailer after they too were forced to evacuate their home, which was about a mile and a half from the fire. Root said she was at work on Tuesday when she heard about the fire.
The family has five dogs and two horses, so the rodeo was their only option. "I'm really lucky," Root said of the process. "The La Pine Rodeo Association, they've always opened everything up and they've always been there to help," she added. "Even last year with all the fires, and the year before that."
In previous fires, Root was in Level 1 and Level 2 evacuation areas. This was the first time her family was in Level 3 and had to evacuate. "It can be very scary and you just gotta have faith in your community and the people surrounding you and not give up," she said.
For residents like Root, fear and evacuation notices around wildfire season are not uncommon. The area has experienced several nearby fires, forcing residents and local agencies to remain resilient and respond swiftly when faced with fire danger.
The current fire is the third fire that started along Darlene Way in the last few years. The first occurred in 2021. The second, a small fire that was caught quickly, happened just a week prior to the current one. According to PIO Long, the Darlene 3 Fire grew quickly due to wind.
The cause of the fire is still unknown and probably will be for a while, said Long. It is still actively being investigated by law enforcement and wildland fire investigators, though it's assumed it was caused by humans since there wasn't any lightning in the area.
