A wildfire east of Redmond, Oregon, on Saturday led to evacuations in the Powell Butte area and has led to the temporary closure of the Redmond Airport.

As of 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, the McCaffery Fire was an estimated 250 acres, according to Central Oregon Fire Info, which said in a social media post that “retardant drops have slowed the spread of the fire.”

Level 3 “GO NOW” evacuations was once in place for an area that straddles the Deschutes and Crook County Lines. But At 9:15 p.m., the Crook County Sheriff’s office said on Facebook that “the evacuation level for the area has been dropped to a level 2. People may go home for the night but be ready to evacuate again.”

Level 2 is an evacuation warning, which means there’s a high probability of a need to evacuate. People should be ready to evacuate by packing necessary items and preparing their family, pets and car for potential departure from home.

According to the sheriff’s office, the evacuation zone included the West Powell Butte View Estates. An evacuation shelter has been established at Powell Butte Christian Church. 13720 OR-126, Powell Butte.

As of 8 p.m., OR Highway 126 remained open for traffic, according to ODOT’s TripCheck website.

While the fire itself is not directly impacting the Redmond Airport, the airport was once closed to passenger airline traffic due to the firefighting efforts, according to an announcement on the airport’s website. The airport said on its website that it had reopened to passenger traffic. Passengers should check with their airline for the most up-to-date flight information.

Dillon Gabriel, Tez Johnson, and Evan Stewart will be the faces of the Oregon Football air game next season, with plenty riding on the trio.

According to PFF’s Max Chadwick, Gabriel was ranked as the second best quarterback in the country heading into next season. As for the wide receiver rankings, Johnson was fourth and Stewart was ninth.

Gabriel comes from Oklahoma, having made the decision to transfer over to Oregon in December of 2023. Before Oklahoma, he played at UCF from 2019-21. Gabriel had success at both schools with a record of 33-16 as the starting quarterback.

In his career, Gabriel has thrown for 14,865 yards to go along with 125 touchdowns and 26 interceptions. He isn’t just a one-trick pony as he can do it on the ground as well, running for 1,030 yards and 26 touchdowns in his career.

“(Dillon Gabriel) is one of the guys (already)… He’s in the locker room cracking jokes with us… He’s going to have the best season yet.”

– Tez Johnson via Oregon Ducks on SI

Johnson is coming off a stellar senior season with Oregon after playing the first three years of his career with Troy. He had 1,182 receiving yards on 86 catches and 10 touchdowns and is looking to build off that in his final season with the Ducks. 

Johnson is going to be one of the favorites for the Fred Biletnikoff Award, which is given annually to the most outstanding wide receiver in college football.

“He’s got speed, I think that shows up. He has the ability to get in and out of breaks, and he can really create separation with his speed. Obviously, he’s a little bit lighter, so we got to get him to continue to bulk up and wait for him to be a consistent player because if you take a couple of hits at that size, you’re not going to be able to be as productive.”

– Dan Lanning on Tez Johnson via DucksWire

Stewart was one of the top transfers in the portal this offseason and he ultimately found that his best next step was with Oregon coach Dan Lanning. In his sophomore season with Texas A&M, he finished with 514 receiving yards on 38 catches and 4 touchdowns. In his freshman campaign, Stewart had 649 receiving yards on 53 catches and 2 touchdowns.

It’s important to keep in mind that this was during two rough seasons for the Aggies who went 12-13. You can only imagine how much the field is going to open up for Stewart with Oregon’s offensive scheme.

“The thing that probably sticks out the most to me about Evan is the way he attacks the ball in the air. He can contort his body and move in a lot of different directions to be able to grab balls that a lot of guys don’t go attack. He’s truly a guy that when the ball is in the air, he’s going to go attack the ball.”

– Dan Lanning on Evan Stewart via 247Sport

Stay up to date on all things Oregon Ducks by visiting Oregon Ducks on SI daily and following Oregon Ducks on SI on Facebook and X.

Khyree Jackson, a recently-drafted Minnesota Vikings cornerback, died early Saturday in a car crash at the age of 24. The team confirmed the news Saturday morning.

“I am absolutely crushed by this news,” coach Kevin O’Connell said in a statement. “Khyree brought a contagious energy to our facility and our team. His confidence and engaging personality immediately drew his teammates to him.”

Jackson was picked by the Vikings in the fourth round of April’s draft. He arrived in Minnesota by way of Oregon. But before playing for coach Dan Lanning, he had played stints at Arizona Western College, Fort Scott Community College and Alabama.

We are devastated by the news of Khyree Jackson’s death following an overnight car accident.

Our thoughts are with Khyree’s family, friends, teammates and coaches, as well as all the victims of this tragic accident.

Advertisement

💔💔💔 pic.twitter.com/pkgC4kQtWi

— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) July 6, 2024

The day the Vikings drafted Jackson, he told a story about thinking he was finished with football after a freshman season at Arizona Western. He returned home to Upper Marlboro, Md., worked for Harris Teeter grocery and quit working out. Then, the football bug bit him again, and the 6-foot-4, 194-pounder transformed into a prospect Lannning described as the type of cornerback you’d want to create in Madden.

RIP Khyree… Love you @Real_Khyree at a loss for words. I will miss your smile. Great player better person.

— Dan Lanning (@CoachDanLanning) July 6, 2024

“Khyree had an extremely bright future ahead of him as a player,” Vikings owners Mark and Zygi Wilf said, “and it was clear he was dedicated to being a tremendous person who made a positive difference in people’s lives.”

The Maryland State Police said in a statement the accident also claimed the lives of Isaiah Hazel and Anthony Lytton, two of Jackson’s high school teammates. Hazel was the driver of the vehicle, per the statement.

Investigators believe the car carrying Jackson was struck by another vehicle that was attempting to change lanes while driving at a high rate of speed. They believe alcohol may have been a contributing circumstance in the crash, the statement reads.

“I am heartbroken by the loss of Khyree. As we got to know him throughout the pre-draft process, it was clear the goals Khyree wanted to accomplish both professionally and personally. His story was one of resilience,” Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah said in a statement. “He was taking steps to become the best version of himself not just for him, but for those who cared about and looked up to him. Khyree’s personality captured every room he was in. I’m devastated that his life and everything he had in front of him has been cut short.”

Required reading

(Photo: John E. Moore III / Getty Images)