Bend Fire & Rescue responded at about 6:40 p.m. Tuesday, June 23 to several reports of an explosion near the entrance of the Deschutes County Knott Landfill at SE 27th Street and Knott Road in Bend.

Firefighters arrived within minutes to find two front loaders fully involved, with fire spreading to a third and into nearby mulch piles in the recycling area. Crews extinguished the heavy machinery and then battled the burning mulch for about an hour before bringing the fire under control.

Deschutes County Solid Waste staff helped turn over the mulch piles so firefighters could douse them with water to ensure full extinguishment. The front loaders and mulch piles were owned by Republic Services, which also had staff on site to assist responders.

The landfill was closed during the incident. No injuries were reported. Losses were estimated at $150,000, and the cause of the fire is under investigation.

Bend, OR

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