Lightning blamed for B&B Complex fires

Lightning was the cause of both the Booth and Bear Butte fires, which broke out on August 19, according to the Central Oregon Arson Task Force (COATF).

The fires eventually merged and consumed some 90,000 acres of forest land west of Sisters, forcing the evacuation of Camp Sherman and area campgrounds.

The task force has completed extensive investigations of both the Booth and Bear Butte Fires. The fires were investigated separately.

"The COATF conducted a very thorough investigation, using standardized methodology," a task force news release reported.

"After pursuing all leads, our investigators determined that the cause was lightning. The Pinhead Butte fire, reported August 15, the Tan Pony and Brown Horse fires reported August 18, and the Booth and Bear Butte fires, reported August 19, were holdovers from the active lightning storms that went through the area August 4-7," stated Captain Randy Wight, Coordinator of the COATF.

"It is not unusual for holdover lightning fires to smolder undetected for days or weeks until fuels and weather conditions are just right and the fires become visible," Wright said.

The Central Oregon Arson Task Force will host a public meeting at 7 p.m. on Thursday, October 16, at Sisters Middle School. They will present an in-depth look at the investigation and be available to answer questions. A copy of the presentation from the meeting will be available on the Forest Service web site at www.fs.fed.us/r6/centraloregon.