Lightning fires spare Sisters District

While most of Central Oregon saw dozens of lightning-spawned fires in the last week, Sisters Ranger District firefighters counted their blessings.

According to Mark Rapp, Assistant Fire Management Officer with the Sisters Ranger District, only 12 fires burned on the district since Monday, July 27, all caused by "hot strikes."

And nearly all of these blazes were less than 1/10th of an acre in size.

"They were almost all 'spot' size, of 1/10th acre or less," Rapp said. "These usually occur in a single tree with a small amount of fire around the tree."

In a dry, overstocked forest, such isolated fires can be hard to imagine. But, as Rapp clarified, "trees are like lightning rods. Lightning hits the tree and runs down (the trunk), burning the dry vegetation on the ground. So we only get a small fire at the base with possibly some fire in the tree if it's dead."

Only one fire in the Sisters District was larger than 1/10th of an acre. The blaze, just over an acre in size, burned near Windy Point, off the McKenzie Highway.

The Windy Point fire was actually two small fires within 1/4 mile of each other; the challenge here was not the size of the blaze, but the approach.

"Lightning struck here Wednesday (July 29) and we knew about it but it wasn't doing much," Rapp said. "We would have had to walk across lava to reach the fire(s)."

Forest Service aircraft surveyed the burn and had difficulty finding the affected area from the air. Rapp explained that rain from thunderstorms washed down the smoke so the creeping fire was not visible. Once it was relocated, smoke-jumpers were deployed.

"We sent two plane loads of jumpers and dumped a load of fire retardant," Rapp said.

The only injury during this latest dozen fires was a sprained ankle sustained by one of the jumpers.

Rapp estimated there were about 60 fires on the Willamette National Forest, including one which concerned Deschutes fire officials. The Marion Lake fire in the Mt. Jefferson Wilderness burned approximately 150 acres along the Pacific Crest.

"We thought it might threaten to come over the Cascades and burn into our boundary," Rapp said.

Although the Sisters area was spared in this last bout of thunderstorms, Rapp added that the season has just begun. Rapp's main concern is with drying vegetation.

"Our fine fuels, such as grasses and small weedy debris, are starting to dry out, turning golden in color and making (them) very, very flammable," he warned.

Rapp spends much of his time outside the regular "fire season" managing prescribed burns to reduce the forest fuels, hopefully preventing a catastrophic wildfire. He has yet to see his work tested in action.

"We are hoping to get a (lightning) strike in a previously burned area because we really haven't had a chance to test our theory (that) if you reduce fuels you reduce the chance of a high intensity fire maintaining itself," Rapp said. "(This would) give us an education on catching fires smaller, increasing our chances of success."

On the Santiam Pass, the removal of dead trees places forest managers in a difficult position.

"Logging areas are temporarily at higher risk due to dead wood on the ground from time of harvest to time of treatment," Rapp said.

Treatment methods for the Santiam Pass project will include downed tree removal, controlled burns, and slash pile burns.

"This fall we will start to treat these fuels, but we are taking a known risk for a short period of time," he explained. "The long-term benefit is a healthier, green forest."

So far, the Sisters Ranger District has seen 28 fires for the year, 20 started by lightning, and eight human caused, primarily due to careless smokers and improperly extinguished campfires. The eight lightning fires not caused in the last week occurred during thunderstorms in mid-July.

To report wildland fires in the Sisters Area, call 800-314-2560, or in case of an emergency, call 911.