News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Fireworks are being blamed for a blaze that consumed a storage barn east of Sisters on Monday, June 29.
According to Cloverdale Fire Chief Chuck Cable, two local youths were playing with legal fireworks on the property at 68211 Highway 20 West, near the home of one of the boys.
"These were, specifically, sparklers that were the cause - putting them out in a dry grass area right next to the structure."
Forest Service firefighters were first to the scene, followed by Cloverdale units called out at 1:20 p.m.
By the time Cloverdale fire units arrived, the storage barn was a raging inferno, with the blaze threatening a nearby double-wide trailer home and its propane tank.
"With the wind direction going straight toward the tree and the trailer and the propane tank, the potential was enormous," Cable said.
Units from Sisters also arrived on the scene, and firefighters were able to get a handle on the blaze, preserving the frame of the structure.
That action, Cable said, enabled investigators to determine the origin of the fire.
The youths and the family pets were uninjured in the fire.
The structure was once a residence, Cable said, though recently it had been used as a storage barn.
Cable said the fire serves as an object lesson about the dangers of fireworks - even legal ones. He cautioned that fireworks can start fires even when those using them think they are out. To make sure a sparkler is out, douse it in a metal bucket filled with water, Cable said.
When finished with the fireworks, the area should be thoroughly inspected for lingering sparks and wetted down with a hose.
With a hot, dry Fourth of July weekend around the corner, Cable said he hopes this fire will raise awareness and prevent other fires.
The June 29 incident remains under investigation by fire and police investigators, Cable said.
Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.
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