News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
A wayward spark from a spring burning operation on Pine Meadow Ranch ignited a conflagration that consumed a hay barn in minutes on Tuesday, April 13.
According to Doug Sokol of Pine Meadow Ranch, a crew of ranch workers was burning grass in an irrigation ditch when the wind kicked up and blew a spark into a barn full of tons of cured hay.
The barn erupted in flames.
"In just a matter of 10 minutes it was over with, Sokol told The Nugget.
The fire destroyed the hay as well as several pieces of farm equipment including a disc tiller.
"The blades on the disc are melted and that's hardened steel, Sokol said. "The heat was so intense it just melted it. Steel.
The fire happened so suddenly and burned the barn so quickly that there was no chance to save any of the equipment.
Sokol said he was actually relieved that there was no opportunity for someone to take that risk.
"The thing is, no one was hurt, he said.
Total damage is estimated at $75,000 to $100,000, according to Sokol.
The ditch burning was a routine operation, Sokol said. However, he noted that the grass cover is especially heavy this spring and burning can - obviously - be dangerous.
"People have to have a huge respect for fire, he said. "You can't burn past a certain point in the day because the wind comes up around here.
Sokol said that Pine Meadow Ranch is phasing out of the haying business and moving to pasturing animals.
He was not certain whether the barn would be rebuilt.
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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