Lightning strikes spark at least 20 small C.O. fires
Lightning bolts filled the sky in several areas of Central Oregon on Sunday, after and a severe thunderstorm warning was issued. Officials said those strikes have sparked at least 20 fires, the majority of which are in the Deschutes National Forest near Pacific Crest and Sugar Pine Ridge.
” The even more important thing is looking for all the holdover fires, ” said Jean Nelson-Dean, public affairs officer with Deschutes National Forest. ” Those are fires that were started that we haven’t yet seen, or that are just smoldering right now, and with a little wind on them will pop up the rest of the week. ”
Officials said 16 smoke jumpers and 30 firefighters have been working to fight the fires. All fires so far have been contained to less than an acre.
The Central Oregon Interagency Dispatch Center identifies all the lightning strikes and fire starts in the area. Its mission is to provide dispatch support and resources for all incidents.
” The goal here is, within two minutes of a smoke report, to have engines rolling to the fire, ” said Sam McKenzie, lead initial attack dispatcher with COIDC.
McKenzie said Sunday’s lightning activity was forecast to reach a Level 2, but data indicates it never reached that point.
A Level 2 means there are 80 lightning strikes per hour. McKenzie said there were 130 lightning strikes total over a 3 1/2-hour period Sunday.
More thunderstorms are forecast for later this week. McKenzie said lightning activity is expected to be at Level 2, and even Level 3.
” As we see that coming in, we can actually move resources out ahead of it and put them in positions at high points where they can actually watch the strikes and look for smoke, ” McKenzie said.
McKenzie said each fire division will disperse all resources to different locations, so they can get the widest possible coverage.
He said the relatively mellow fire season in Central Oregon so far this year has helped in managing these current fires, keeping them small. McKenzie said COIDC typically struggles to find contractors who are available to assist at this time of year, because most resources are already being used.
Lisa Clark, public information officer with the Bureau of Land Management, said the smoke people may have seen in the High Desert sky Monday was likely from the Williams Flat Fire burning in northeast Washington on the Colville Indian Reservation. It has reportedly grown to 13,500 acres since igniting Saturday and is 20 percent contained.
