A fire broke out in a field off Ervin Road southwest of Philomath Thursday afternoon and burned a tractor, mobile home, several vehicles and a mobile trailer, Philomath Fire and Rescue reported.
The property owner, who tried to remove the tractor from the field, suffered burns to his hands and was transported to Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center in Corvallis.
The mobile home, vehicles and trailer were all abandoned. Firefighters limited the spread of the fire to about 1 acre.
“According to the owner, the fire started at the water wellhead with an electrical problem that caught the surrounding grass on fire,” Deputy Fire Chief Rich Saalsaa reported. “The grounds had tall grasses, including around the abandoned building and vehicles, which caught fire quickly in the windy conditions.”
The fire department initially responded at 3:35 p.m. to a burning complaint that had come in and sent a duty officer and brush truck to investigate. Multiple callers reported that the fire was spreading and the incident escalated to a full vegetation fire while the response was en route.
“On arrival, the duty officer found a building fire, vehicle fires and a large brush fire in the area and the incident was then upgraded to a full structural fire response in addition to the vegetation response,” Saalsaa said.
Philomath Fire and Rescue sent a structure engine, brush truck and water tender. In addition, Corvallis Fire (structure engine, battalion chief, water tender and brush truck), the Oregon Department of Forestry’s West Oregon District (three brush trucks), Monroe Rural Fire (brush truck) and Adair Rural Fire & Rescue (water tender) sent equipment and personnel.
In all, more than 25 personnel were at the scene while four additional personnel were managing other calls for Philomath Fire and Rescue.
Saalsaa said crews extinguished the tractor fire first before turning their attention to the larger fire.
“Out of an abundance of caution, the residents of the houses nearest the property were advised to be ready to evacuate should conditions worsen,” Saalsaa said. “Fortunately, the crews made a good stop of the fire before it spread beyond the 1-acre footprint.”
Saalsaa said ODF crews secured a line around the fire to prevent spread while other crews tended to the burning building and vehicles.
Saalsaa said the fire would smolder overnight Thursday with ODF planning to return Friday morning to further ensure that all hotspots have been extinguished.
Philomath Fire and Rescue thanks neighbor agencies for their assistance at the scene, including the Benton County Sheriff’s Office.