Police have arrested a LaPine man in connection with a fire that burned down a cabin, and has blackened over half of a square mile in Northern Klamath County.
Rolando Alonzo owns one of the 120 properties threatened by the ‘Stagecoach’ fire, and he’s worried…
“Yes, I am. We have two story cabins on there that we use frequently, and I’m concerned that those might have been burned down.”
Public Information Officer Kristen Bowles explains that the fire broke out just south of the Deschutes county line near the Antelope Meadows and Split Rail subdivisions…
“So this fire started yesterday afternoon, quickly grew in size to an estimated 350 to 400 acres.”
Police say 30 year old Kelly Jera Parker started a campfire on federal land that sparked the fire. He’s now charged with first-degree arson and reckless burning.
120 homes were evacuated Monday night.
While that evacuation order was lifted this morning, many road closures are still in place.
About 150 firefighters are involved in suppression efforts on the Stagecoach fire, which has been fully lined, but not fully contained at this time.
One cabin was destroyed in the fire…but Rolando Alonzo has just been told that it wasn’t his…
“The good news is, everything’s been spared.”
The Stagecoach fire serves as a strong reminder that conditions for fire in Klamath and Lake counties are now extreme.
The Stagecoach fire is about 10% contained at this time…crews have been working today to strengthen a dozer line made around the fire, and locate any hot spots outside that fire line.
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