Gusty winds help spread fast growing central Oregon wildfire and prompt evacuations

A rapidly growing wildfire near the central Oregon community of La Pine is being spurred by gusty winds and prompting evacuations. The Oregon State Fire Marshal said the blaze began about one mile south of La Pine and was estimated to be around half a square mile in size late Tuesday. Gov. Tina Kotek invoked an order allowing the fire marshal to mobilize resources to help fight the blaze. It was not immediately clear how many homes were evacuated or if any structures had been destroyed. Firefighters used heavy equipment to establish control lines around the fire. Aircraft dropped fire retardant to slow the blaze’s spread.