GILCHRIST – Residents of the Crescent and Odell Lakes area were evacuated and a community meeting was scheduled Wednesday, Sept. 24, as winds whipped up a man-caused wildland fire in Central Oregon.

Firefighters continue to work on the Royce Butte Fire that started about 2 p.m. Tuesday afternoon and caused the closure of Highway 58 and the evacuation of numerous residences around the two lakes.

Crews had completed a dozer line around the fire but the winds caused numerous spot fires outside of the dozer line.

On Wednesday, the fire was estimated at 400 acres and 10 percent contained.

A community meeting was scheduled for 6 p.m. Wednesday in the Gilchrist High School music room.

Travelers were advised to check the Oregon Department of Transportation website, www.tripcheck.com, for road closure information about the fire.

The fire was burning about a mile east of the community of Crescent Lake Junction and Highway 58. The fire cause the evacuation of the community of Crescent Lake Junction, the Diamond Peaks Subdivision, East Odell Lake Lodge, Crescent Lake Lodge, and all the summer residences at Odell and Crescent Lakes.

Oregon State Police, Forest Service Law Enforcement, and Walker Range Fire Patrol coordinated the evacuation of 120 residents and over 100 homes in the area. A Red Cross Shelter for evacuees was set up at the Community Club in Crescent.

The Central Oregon Incident Management Team took over management of the fire Wednesday, with a command post at the La Pine Rodeo Grounds.