Firefighters called out to douse two rekindled, escaped debris burns near Sisters within 24 hours

(Update: Second escaped debris burn in less than a day, also caught small)

SISTERS, Ore. (KTVZ) – With Central Oregon’s debris burn season set to close in a week, people with yard debris or other items to ignite are seeking permits, and that’s led to two escaped burns near Sisters in less than 24 hours.

Tuesday evening, a yard debris burn that a property owner northeast of Sisters believed he had put out but was still smoldering rekindled and escaped in warmer, windier conditions Tuesday evening, spreading to nearby vegetation and bringing fire crews to the scene.

A neighboring property owner on Big View Drive called Deschutes County 811 dispatchers at 6:35 p.m. to report the grass fire, Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire District Public Information Officer Julie Spor said.

Crews quickly extinguished the escaped burn pile, containing the fire at about 1/8 of an acre.

The property owner on scene reported they had previously been burning yard debris, but had extinguished the fire earlier in the day.

Shift Commander Jeremy Ast said, “Clearance around the property owner’s burn pile was an issue, and the fire rekindled with increasing afternoon temperatures and wind from the pile, which had been left smoldering.”

Around 2:35 p.m. Wednesday, Sisters-Camp Sherman were called to a reignited old debris pile, also estimated at 1/8 of an acre, in the 69000 block of Pine Ridge Road north of Sisters.

Neighbors driving by alerted the property owner and called 911 to report grass, brush and three rolls of plastic turf on fire, Spor said. Again, the property owner said they believed the burn pile had been extinguished.

The Sisters‐Camp Sherman Fire District responded with six firefighters and three emergency vehicles.

Division Chief Jeff Puller stated, “This is the second fire in two days that was not completely extinguished and then reignited, leading to the brush fire.”

The Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire District reminds residents to clear the area of combustible material around your burn pile for at least 10 feet in all directions, and make sure your fire is completely extinguished.

The Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire District responded with 17 firefighters and four emergency vehicles. Units from the Black Butte Ranch Fire District and Oregon Department of Forestry brought two additional personnel.

Residents are reminded to adhere to the Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire District burn regulations, register your property and schedule your burn days at www.sistersfire.com. The outdoor yard debris burning season ends at sunset on Wednesday, May 31.