C.O. fire crews scramble to catch lightning-sparked fires as state brings in 2 task forces
(Update: Adding Todd Hendrickson lightning video)
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Thunderstorms rumbled and flashed their way through the High Desert Monday evening, sparking over a dozen new wildfires that crews rushed to catch when they're small, while a threat of more storms amid hot, dry weather prompted the state to bring in outside reinforcements, as a precaution.
The Central Oregon Interagency Dispatch Center said crews had staffed 14 fires from Monday's storms. Many were less than 1/10 of an acre, often referred to as single-tree fires, while a few others were estimated at about a half-acre, they said.
The storms also brought downpours to some areas and dropped quarter-inch hail south of Bend, according to a National Weather Service observer.
Fire crews Monday made progress and held lines on the 6,200-acre S-503 Fire on the Warm Springs Indian Reservation and the 1,500-acre Cutoff Fire north of Bonanza in Klamath County, both of which grew fast over the weekend and prompted evacuations.
But a new fire south of Chiloquin, the Pool Fire, burned about 22 acres before crews caught it Monday, lifting earlier evacuation notices and all but one road closure (a portion of Witam Bluff Drive).
The South-Central Oregon Fire Management Partnership reported numerous lightning strikes late Monday, mostly east of Highway 97. Reports indicated rain with most of the storms.
Still with lightning in the forecast again Tuesday and several parts of the state under a Red Flag Warning or a Fire Weather Watch, the Oregon Office of State Fire Marshal said Monday it is staging additional firefighting resources in Central Oregon.
They called it a proactive move for the region to be better prepared and bolster any initial fire attack. These firefighters are not being assigned to a specific incident but will be an added resource and increase the state’s readiness if there is a fire.
Two firefighting task forces, one from Marion County and one from Washington County, will be stationed in Central Oregon, ready to respond and help local resources in the event a wildfire erupts and threatens structures. These teams will be prepositioned for 72 hours, but may stay longer if they are needed.
“We know the conditions across the state are dry, and with thunderstorms in the forecast, even the smallest spark could trigger a wildfire, that is why we are prepositioning these resources,” Oregon State Fire Marshal Mariana Ruiz-Temple said in a news release. “We can’t control the weather, but we can plan for what we can control, and that is strategically placing resources ahead of this weather event.”
At this time, the OSFM is not deploying any of its incident management teams, but they are ready in the event they need to be activated and deployed.
The OSFM encouraged all Oregonians to be aware of the dry conditions and take the necessary precautions to avoid sparking a fire.
