Recent lightning storms have kept fire officials busy throughout the region. Firefighters from the Umpqua National Forest responded to over 40 smoke reports this past weekend and confirmed 37 fires. Many of the fires have been reported as controlled while the others are being actively managed by firefighters.
Crews from the Douglas Forest Protective Association located one new lightning related fire Saturday evening, bringing the total number of confirmed lightning caused fires on DFPA protected lands from last week’s lightning event up to 26 fires. Firefighters completed control lines around the 10-acre Big Tom Folley Fire Saturday evening.
The Willamette National Forest had over 40 lightning caused fires including in the Mount Washington and Three Sisters Wilderness areas. The small fires are burning in a rugged and varied landscape surrounded by a number of previous fire scars.
Despite rainfall being in the forecast for the next couple of days, the potential for additional lightning related fires remains throughout the area as it is common for lightning fires to smolder for days or even weeks before popping back to life on a warm, windy day.
Copyright KLCC, 2019