Jefferson County firefighters stop 3 small blazes along Hwy. 26; flames destroy fence, 5 tons of hay

MADRAS, Ore. (KTVZ) – Jefferson County firefighters stopped the spread of three small wildfires along Highway 26 northwest of Madras Tuesday evening, protecting a threatened structure but unable to stop the flames from destroying a fence and about five tons of harvested hay, an official said.

The fires were reported around 5:25 p.m. in the highway right of way near milepost 113, between Northwest Fire and Elm lanes, said Captain Tom Jaca of Jefferson County Fire & EMS.

The southernmost fire, near Fir Lane, burned about 165 feet of cedar plank fence and extended into an alfalfa field that had been mowed for harvest and burning the hay, Jaca said.

“Aggressive attacks were made on all three fires to stop forward progress and spread of fires,” he said in a news release.

The cause of the fires is unknown, Jaca added.

Mutual-aid assistance was provided by Warm Springs Fire & Safety, the BLM, Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office and ODOT.