Cigarette starts fire in woods near Sisters

A transient camped in the woods along Highway 20 west of Sisters started a fire that burned a 50-square-foot area before being extinguished by Sisters firefighters.

According to Sisters Fire Marshal Dave Wheeler, the fire was called in at 2:32 a.m. on Tuesday morning, May 20. The man camped in the tent was unaware of the fire. He was awakened and escorted out of the area by a sheriff's deputy.

Wheeler determined that the man's cigarette had smoldered near a log and caught fire.

"I went up to him and said 'where were you smoking last night' and he said, 'over there by that log.' And that's where all the indicators went," Wheeler said.

The man was cited for reckless burning.

It took firefighters about two hours to mop up the 50-square-foot area of the fire.

Wheeler noted that large fuels were already burning quickly, despite it being early in the season. Rains over Memorial Day Weekend have temporarily reduced fire danger, but the woods will dry out in short order as temperatures rise.

With that in mind, all fire districts in the Sisters country are closing outdoor burning as of June 1, Wheeler reported.

Author Bio

Jim Cornelius, Editor in Chief

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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