Firefighters still battling spree of lightning fires on Mount Bachelor

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Firefighters are scrambling to attack a flurry of lightning fires that ignited south of Bend in the Deschutes National Forest between Sept. 7 and 8.

The fires, labeled by firefighters as the Bachelor Complex Fires, range from a tenth of an acre to 14,400 acres in size. The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office has issued “go now,” level-3 evacuations for areas of Mt. Bachelor in response to the fires.

As of Sept. 9, the largest fires burning within the Bachelor Complex include the Firestone Fire (6,700 acres) and the Flat Top Fire (14,400 acres), burning southeast of the Newberry Caldera. Firefighters are working to protect structures at the Cabin Lake Guard Station in the area. The Mt. Bachelor Resort and its recreational infrastructure are among the properties "threatened” by the Backside Fire, the Central Oregon Fire Info said on social media.

Incoming rain is forecast to aid firefighters in gaining control of the complex on Wednesday. KOIN 6 Meteorologist Kelley Bayern predicts that a storm will move into the area between late Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning. Areas of Bt. Bachelor could see as much as a quarter of an inch of rain during the storm. However, more lightning is also possible.

“The storm that is coming through on Wednesday is expected to bring some rain and cooler temperatures, which will help,” a Central Oregon Fire official told KOIN 6. “There is also potential for some lightning with that storm.”