News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Cloverdale firefighters responded to two fires on consecutive days last week off Fryrear Road east of Sisters.
According to Cloverdale Fire Chief Chuck Cable, the fires are considered suspicious and have been turned over to the Central Oregon Arson Task Force for investigation.
Fire officials always investigate to determine the cause of a fire, Cable noted. There are many variables -- a cigarette that's not completely crushed out, carbon from an exhaust pipe. Such fire sources aren't readily apparent after a blaze.
"We can't always determine a fire cause," Cable said.
Fires of undetermined origin are categorized as either a probable accident or as suspicious. In the height of fire season, firefighters look very closesly at fires of undetermined origin.
"When you have two of those in a row, automatically a flag goes up," Cable said.
One fire burned on Wednesday, August 8, off Fryrear Road in the vicinity of the solid waste transfer station. The next day, on August 9, another fire burned off Fryrear Road in a different location.
"We had a similar fire that got into a pile of brush that had been piled up from brush clearing," Cable said.
Both fires were approximately the same distance off the road.
When suspicious blazes crop up, Cable said, firefighters become hyper-alert to the scenes around fires. They note vehicles coming and going and the people who they see at scenes.
Members of the general public are also asked to be alert.
"Their eyes and ears, the things they hear and see before, during and after a fire may be helpful," Cable said.
Those with information about a fire should call their local fire district (Cloverdale: 548-4815; Sisters 549-0771) or call the business line of the 911 service district at 388-0170.
Public awareness is especially critical now, as Central Oregon weathers an intense drought.
Brush and trees are extremely dry and vulnerable to fire --Ünatural, accidental, or deliberately caused.
As Cloverdale firefighters keep an eye on their suspicious fires, crews battle lightning-sparked blazes near LaPine.
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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