Fire forces residents to flee

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Story Published: Sep 16, 2008 at 9:48 PM PST

By Elissa Harrington

CRESCENT LAKE JUNCTION, Ore. -- The Royce Butte fire jumped fire lines late Tuesday afternoon, rapidly expanding to 1,100 acres and forcing the evacuation of 100 homes and at least 120 people.

The fire was burning uncontained as of 6:38 a.m. this morning. This left many worried about their businesses. "See where that helicopter is?" said Ernest Szeremi, the chef at the East Odell Resort . "That's where the lodge is. It's not good. That's my livelihood." Despite those mandatory evacuations, fire crews let some business owners stay stationed at their staging area in Crescent Lake Junction to protect their businesses. Everyone else was out of luck.

ODOT shut Highway 58 from milepost 63 to 72. Folks heading to Crescent lake, Crater Lake or Bend must find a new way around. The highway is expected to remain closed through Wednesday. There are 155 people fighting the fire, including 10 fire engines and one helicopter. Hot, dry weather is contributing to extreme fire behavior. The human-caused fire started around 3 p.m. Unstable air pushed the fire past containment lines and across the highway. Meanwhile, Szeremi set up a campsite where you can actually see smoke from the wildfire.

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