La Pine Fire crews tackle, stop two brush fires reported less than 15 minutes apart
First was escaped debris burn; 2nd near Bi-Mart closed Burgess Road for a time, cause under investigation
La PINE, Ore. (KTVZ) – La Pine Rural Fire District crews had a busy time Wednesday afternoon, with two brush fires reported less than 15 minutes apart. Both were stopped quickly, though the the second prompted a brief closure of Burgess Road.
La Pine Fire first responded at 1:26 p.m. to a brush fire off Deer Avenue, Assistant Chief Dan Daugherty said. Then, around 1:30 p.m. came a second 911 call for a brush fire on property next to Bi-Mart and the La Pine Senior Center, he said.
Crews arriving at the Deer Avenue fire found a small, slow-moving escaped debris burn that had extended up to a home’s foundation, Daugherty said.
Some of the resources responding to that fire were diverted to the brush fire near Bi-Mart, where crews arrived to find a small, roughly quarter-acre fire in a mix of grass, brush and trees. Daugherty said it “was moving at a moderate rate of speed secondary to winds.”
Deschutes County sheriff’s deputies briefly closed Burgess Road for firefighter access and motorist safety.
An Oregon Department of Forestry engine crew responded to assist with initial fire suppression, the official said.
The first fire crews were on scene within 10 minutes of the dispatch call and had the fire’s forward progress stopped within five minutes of arriving, Daugherty said. La Pine Fire and ODF personnel completed mop-up operations, with a total of six firefighters on scene.
No injuries were reported and no structures involved. The cause of the second brush fire remains under investigation, Daugherty said Thursday.
