Illegal burn causes brush fire in Sisters

An illegal burn at a rented residence at 69050 McKinney Butte Rd. in Sisters sparked a brush fire on Saturday that quickly blew up into a four-acre blaze that could have gotten completely out of hand.

“It almost did (get out of hand),” said Sisters Camp Sherman Rural Fire Protection District Fire Marshal Dave Wheeler. “We were very lucky.”

The fire, which was still under investigation on Monday, July 3, was apparently caused by an escaped spark from a burn barrel or fire pit.

According to Wheeler, the fire department was called out at 1:54 p.m. on Saturday, July 1. Captain Gary Lovegren was first on the scene and he reported that the fire covered a 50-by-50-foot area. Then the wind kicked up.

“The wind caught it and it started carrying,” Wheeler said. “It went from 50-by-50 to four acres in about 15 minutes.”

Five engines and 16 firefighters from Sisters responded to the blaze, along with 10 Forest Service and five Oregon Department of Forestry personnel. Black Butte Ranch and Cloverdale firefighters also responded. It took them three hours to get the fire out.

“They almost lost the barn (on the property); it’s got some scorch marks on it,” Wheeler said. “The corral looked pretty cooked, too.”

Wheeler emphasized that “burning season is shut down and nobody should be burning right now.”

Once the investigation determines who is responsible for the illegal burn, “my guess is that we’re going to have an illegal burn citation,” Wheeler said.

That would amount to a warning from Sisters’ fire department, but it is also possible that federal and state agencies could bill the responsible party for the use of the engines and personnel required to fight the blaze.