Oregon Department of Forestry success in initial attack of lightning fires

[Prineville, Oregon]  Eastern Oregon received over 13,000 lightning strikes as numerous thunderstorms moved across eastern Oregon in the last ten days.  Firefighters have taken action on seventy fires across the six million acres of land protected by the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) and Walker Range Forest Patrol in the Eastern Oregon Area.  Of these seventy fires only one grew larger than ten acres, and the majority were suppressed as single trees or less than a tenth of an acre.  ODF firefighters also assisted federal partners and rural fire departments with fires on their jurisdictions to limit fires across the landscape.  Jamie Paul, Eastern Oregon Area Assistant Director, praised Area fire crews for their efforts and hard work, “Responding to so many fires in such a short time period, and keeping them small demonstrates how dedicated and aggressive ODF firefighters are to initial attack fire suppression.” 

In anticipation of these thunderstorms additional resources were requested to support the District and Association personnel.   These resources included engines from local rural fire departments, the Oregon Military Department, and ODF in western Oregon, as well as contract bull dozers. In addition to District and Association staffing and these move-up resources, severity aircraft specially funded by the Oregon Legislature were instrumental in the success of initial attack during this lightning event.  These aircraft, include single engine air tankers, a heli-tack platform capable of delivering firefighters with gear quickly to remote fires, and helicopters capable of dropping water to cool hotspots so that ground troops have time to engage.

Reconnaissance planes and spotters were effective in finding fires immediately following the storms, and were utilized to provide intelligence back to fire managers and crews as they navigated into the fires.  Detection cameras across Eastern Oregon Area are manned with specialized lookouts trained to spot and locate fires through this remote technology. In the Central Oregon District, detection camera operators were responsible for discovery of approximately 20% of the fires in the District during this lightning event.  These early detections allow firefighters to take action quickly while the fires are still small, reducing exposure for firefighters and damage to natural resources as well as financial impacts to landowners and Oregonians.    

In addition to the fires on ODF protected lands Rangeland Fire Protection Associations, volunteer firefighting entities in Central and Eastern Oregon’s high desert and range country, suppressed more than thirty fires during this time period.

Year to date there have been 114 lightning fires in the Eastern Oregon Area burning just over 1,300 acres compared to the ten year average of 107 fires burning just over 12,000 acres.  91 human caused fires have burned 374 acres year to date for 2019 compared to 102 fires burning 2,630 acres for the ten year average.

The Eastern Oregon Area (EOA) is comprised of three forest protection districts, one operating forest protective association, twenty-four rangeland fire protection associations, and two state forests.