Euston Fire Threatens Homes, Forces Evacuations in Redmond Area

REDMOND, Ore. — A rapidly spreading brush fire scorched 35 acres and endangered homes north of Redmond on Tuesday evening, leading to evacuation alerts and power outages for thousands. The Euston Fire ignited around 4:16 p.m. at 2551 NW Euston Lane, situated between Redmond and Terrebonne.

Fire crews, including those from Redmond Fire & Rescue and other local agencies, deployed both ground crews and aerial support to combat the flames as they encroached upon residential areas. Redmond Fire Marshal Tom Mooney reported seeing large flames and multiple trees engulfed in fire as they arrived on the scene. “We could see that there was at least one home that was threatened by fire,” Mooney said.

As the situation unfolded, the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office issued a Level 2 evacuation warning for several homes nearby. However, this warning was downgraded to Level 1 just before 9 p.m. as firefighters managed to halt the fire’s advance, achieving 20% containment by that time.

“We’re always very concerned, especially when there are structures involved,” Mooney added. “We’re fortunate enough that we didn’t have to jump to Level 3 and start moving people out.”

Lieutenant Nathan Garibay from the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office provided updates, indicating that preliminary estimates suggested the fire engulfed about 20 acres without any containment just before 7 p.m. Crews from Central Oregon Fire Management remained on-site throughout the night to monitor conditions.

Initial reports, while unconfirmed, suggested that the fire’s cause may be linked to an outdoor burn, which has been banned across Deschutes County since late last week. “It’s out of the ordinary that we’re having fires this early in the season,” Mooney noted.

Residents living near the fire expressed tension as they watched the flames reach dangerously close to their properties. “It did get kind of scary the few times when the stuff started to explode,” said local resident Cadence Szymanski. “But once they started putting it out and it died down, I felt better.”

Another neighbor, Levi Methvin, shared his concerns, stating, “I was wondering what was going to happen if it comes up, but honestly, I was just thinking that everybody was hopefully safe.”

Central Electric Cooperative reported that a transmission line was taken out of service due to the fire, affecting approximately 10,500 customers in Redmond, Madras, Prineville, and areas further east toward Post. The power company later confirmed that power was restored.

Fortunately, there were no reported injuries related to the incident.