Emergency Services responds to escaped burn pile on Solar Hill

By Nicole Montesano

Smoke Signals staff writer

The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde Emergency Services Department responded to a wildland fire on Solar Drive in Willamina on Tuesday, June 25, that spread to between a quarter and half-acre of property.

“There was no property loss due to the quick response of your Grand Ronde emergency services and their firefighting services to extinguish the blaze,” Emergency Services Chief Steve Warden said.

The department sent a heavy brush engine, a brush unit, a water tender and a battalion chief. With some firefighters deployed to a more than 2,000-acre fire in La Pine, the department had fewer to resources to send.

“We got the call at 4:12 p.m. and it was started by a burn pile that did not have a sufficient fire break around it; the winds picked up and it got into grass and brush,” Warden said. “Oregon Department of Forestry responded as well and took over the investigation. The fire was quickly contained and controlled, with our total on scene time of one hour and 20 minutes.”

The season for backyard and agricultural burning has closed, and fire season was declared by The Oregon Department of Forestry on Monday, July 1.

Warden noted that despite plentiful rainfall this year, fires can still spread in dry vegetation under new grass.

“Around 2 or 3 in the afternoon the winds pick up and you’re looking at 25 mile-per-hour winds and it’s real easy for a fire to get away. … Had this fire been two or three weeks from now, there’s a good possibility that whole hill could have gone up and we could have lost some houses.”

Fire season seems to be starting early this year, he added.

“I served on the state wildland response team for 10 years and typically we weren’t getting deployed until the end of July into  August,” Warden said. “We’ve had task forces going to other parts of the state twice now, one last week, and one out on the La Pine fire as we speak.”

Homeowners who want advice on making their property more fire resilient can contact Resiliency Specialist Kaylene Barry at 503-879-3573.

The department is also accepting volunteer firefighter applications.