Thunderstorms rumble through C.O. with hail, rain, lightning – and new fires

(Update: New fires being found, tackled)

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) – Thunderstorms moved through the High Desert late Wednesday afternoon and evening, bringing hail in La Pine, the first significant rain for much of Bend in over a month – and lightning that sparked numerous fires and has crews rushing to catch them small.

Central Oregon fire dispatchers reported nine new fire or smoke reports from the storm that moved through by 6:15 p.m. and many more afterward -- close to 30 by midnight.

By 9:30 p.m., officials said 16 fires had been staffed by Central Oregon Interagency Dispatch, all caught at less than a half-acre. Fire crews were working to find four others.

With strong winds expected Thursday, officials said they are concerned it could fan any smoldering fires, so crews will be out patrolling and reconnaissance flights will be looking for new starts.

Thursday morning, officials said they were picking up more small fires from the storms, including one near Tumalo Reservoir Road reported at 1/8 of an acre.

Firefighters were using lightning maps to locate any potential fire starts, as well as "recon" flights.

Bend Fire & Rescue responded around 5:30 p.m. to a small brush fire off Bull Springs Road, west of Bend, Deputy Fire Marshal Dan Derlacki said.

Assisted by the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office and Oregon Department of Forestry, a small, one-eighth of an acre fire was located off Forest Service Road 4606, just west of Shevlin Park, and extinguished in grass and light brush.

Thanks to fuels modification work on the property, the fire stayed on the ground and was kept from burning into the trees and spreading faster, Derlacki said. No structures or property were threatened by the blaze.

ODF and U.S. Forest Service crews will be patrolling over the next few days, looking for any “sleepers” – potential smoldering wildfires -- caused by the storms.