Catalytic converter sparks 10 fires along NE Neff Road

A passing car’s faulty catalytic converter sparked 10 small brushfires along Neff Road across from Pilot Butte Middle School Thursday morning, closing the road for over an hour after neighbors quickly called 911 and tackled the blazes with garden hoses.

Firefighters responded around 8:20 a.m.to the report of a small brushfire and quickly found there were actually 10 fires in a long line for 200 to 300 yards of Neff Road, across the street from the school, said Battalion Chief Dave Howe.

“The person who was driving probably had no idea — you know, they’re just going along, and they’re causing fires behind them,” Howe said.

Three Bend Fire Department and two U.S. Forest Service engine crews quickly put out the blazes, which were burning in dry grass and brush along the right of way, Howe said. The fires and cleanup closed Neff Road for about 90 minutes, so crews could complete their work safely.

Neighbors living along the street quickly reported the fires and used garden hoses to minimize the damage, Howe said. Still, the fires caused an estimated $3,000 to $5,000 damage to fences along the road.

No structures were affected, and there were no evacuations, the fire official said.

Howe said there was no way to find or determine what vehicle sparked the blazes, without witnesses. He said having such a catalytic converter problem is not a crime, but police wanted to find it to let the owner know they need to get it repaired.

Pieces of the catalytic converter, an exhaust system component, can reach 1,600 degrees, and when they leave the tailpipe, they can easily ignite a fire in dry fuels, Howe said.

Bend auto tech Dave Westoby said it’s important to heed your car’s warning signals.

“General rule of thumb, if it’s an amber or yellow light, usually that indicates that you can limp it home, get it in for service and stuff,” Westoby said. “If it’s a red light, then it means shut it down. If the amber light is flashing that indicates that you can be doing damage to your catalytic converter.”

Forest Service and Oregon Department of Forestry crews assist Bend firefighters during extreme fire conditions, the designation enacted earlier this week.

Howe said this kind of unusual roadside fire ignition ” happens maybe three times a year. Whether it’s a catalytic converter, or maybe pieces of metal from exhaust pipe. Sometimes we have people that are dragging something they don’t know like a chain from a trailer hitch.”

Bend firefighters remind the community to exercise extreme care with ignition sources and to clear dry grass, trim brush and cut low, dead branches from trees.

They also advise caution by motorists to make sure no metal such as chains are dragging from a vehicle, and to keep exhaust systems properly maintained, lowering the chance of ignition. Also, Howe urged motorists to never park in an area of dry grass.