Evacuations urged in central Oregon as ‘Darlene 3’ wildfire spreads rapidly [Video]

A wind-driven wildfire spread Wednesday outside a central Oregon community, where authorities urged the evacuation of numerous homes and businesses.

The Darlene 3 Fire grew to nearly 4 square miles near the community of La Pine and was 30% contained, Central Oregon Fire Information posted on the social media site X.

Evacuation alerts were sent to 1,100 homes and businesses, said Lt. Jayson Janes of the Deschutes County Sherriff’s Office. He said about 50-60 people sought refuge at a local high school serving as an evacuation center.

It was not known whether any structures had burned.

Jodi Kerr was packing up her home decor and gifts store in La Pine so she could evacuate.

“It’s part of the risk of living in an area like this. It’s beautiful, but it’s wild,” said Kerr, the owner of Meandering Maker Mercantile.

She said it’s hard to think about the people who’ve spent years building businesses and then be concerned about losing …