Firefighters halt wind-fanned blaze that threatened homes at Crooked River Ranch
CROOKED RIVER RANCH, Ore. (KTVZ) – Firefighters battling hot, windy conditions stopped a small brush fire on Crooked River Ranch Tuesday afternoon that threatened several homes, authorities said.
Crews were called around 3:20 p.m. to 911 reports from several passers-by of a fire burning in grass, brush and juniper trees in the area of Southwest Cinder and Peninsula drives that was spreading to several stacks of lumber and a horse trailer on a property in the 12600 block of Cinder Drive, Assistant Fire Chief Sean Hartley said.
Crews first worked to put out the blaze around the lumber and horse trailer. As more crews arrived, they began containing the fire with progressive hose lays. Hartley said they had the fire contained about 3:50 p.m. but remained on scene mopping up and building a fire line until shortly before 6 p.m.
No structures were damaged, but the horse trailer sustained heat damage from the fire, which was contained at one-third of an acre despite the erratic winds and hot conditions.
Hartley said the cause of the fire was under investigation.
Two properties were damaged by the flames, and residents were not home at either one when the fire broke out, Hartley said. One homeowner returned home as firefighting efforts were underway, while the other was out of the area and notified of the fire by Jefferson County sheriff's deputies.
A total of 10 career firefighters and seven volunteers were called out, with six engines and a water tender. Mutual-aid assistance came from Redmond Fire & Rescue, the Bureau of Land Management, the Oregon State Fire Marshal’s Office and the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office.
While no evacuations were issued for this blaze, Hartley said they recommend everyone sign up for emergency alerts in the county they reside in. In Crooked River Ranch, which straddles the Jefferson-Deschutes county line, they encourage residents to sign up for both Frontier Regional Alerts and Deschutes Alerts. Information on how to sign up can be found at http://www.crrfire.org/emergency-alerts.
