Controlled burn ignited south of Sisters

Smoke rose over Sisters on Monday afternoon when Oregon Department of Forestry and Forest Service fire personnel burned 120 acres on the Deschutes National Forest a mile and a half southeast of the city.

A prescribed fire crew composed of 22 people ignited brush and woody debris near Forest Service Road 4606 and the Squaw Creek Irrigation Canal to reduce hazardous fuels that can encourage wildland fires threatening Sisters to burn more intensely.

Winds were expected to blow smoke away from residential areas. However, homeowners should close doors and windows Monday night to keep smoke out of structures when evening and morning inversions occur.