NE Bend brushfire blamed on smoker’s carelessness

Fire crews doused a brushfire burning a large pine tree, dry grass and needles in the yard of a northeast Bend home Wednesday morning. Investigators blamed the fire on improper disposal of a cigarette — the 16th such fire in the city this month/

Crews were called shortly after 10 a.m. to a home in the 2500 block of Northeast Lynda Lane and found the large pine tree on fire and dry grass and needles, said Battalion Chief Dave Howe.

Firefighters put out the fire and ensured no extension to the house or neighbors’ yards..

Due to very dry conditions, “all types of fuels are very receptive to ignition from the smallest source, so please be careful,” Howe said in a news release. “A cigarette ember, a spark from a lawnmower blade hitting a rock, sparks from a grinder — all these can start a fire very quickly under these conditions, and any fire start can easily escape control.”

“In the past month, we have responded to 16 fires started by the improper disposal of smoking materials, which equates to a fire every other day,” Howe added. “Since the beginning of 2017, we have responded to 44 such incidents.

“Some of them are very costly fires, and all hostile fires have the potential to be devastating. A fire almost always results in a very bad day for someone.”