Heading into this week, 38 large wildfires were burning across Oregon.
None of those wildfires are in the immediate area — the closest appear to be those burning near Detroit and McKenzie Bridge. But it begs the question: Could a major, structure-threatening wildfire happen here?
“It’s hard to say,” Philomath Fire and Rescue Deputy Chief Rich Saalsaa said Tuesday morning. “I think that we would continue to have the spot fires that we’ve seen. Lightning strikes are probably the biggest concern because there are just so many to try to tackle at any one given time.”
The majority of the wildfires currently burning in Oregon were ignited by lightning strikes.
“We’re a bit fortunate here because our lightning tends to be accompanied by moisture,” Saalsaa said. “In central and eastern Oregon, it’s dry lightning.”
One of the most likely situations in the Philomath region would involve a “complex fire,” Saalsaa explained.
“A complex fire is where you have several little fires all burning but all in the same area … and that can happen here,” he said. “The fires themselves are not what generally does most of the damage when it comes to structural problems. It’s the embers that go floating around … and drop down on top of houses.”
Cleaning out gutters and keeping rooftops clear of dead needles would be examples of something homeowners could do to protect themselves.
That type of information is what was shared with the public last week during a community wildfire preparedness meeting. Staged at Philomath City Park, the July 23 gathering attracted roughly 50 people.
A couple of recent fire incidents in the Philomath area prompted officials to organize the event.
“We had just had the fire here in our neighborhood off of Woods Creek Road the week before and then up in the Corvallis (Rock Creek) watershed after the lightning strikes,” said Saalsaa, who participated in the event with Philomath Fire Chief Chancy Ferguson. “We actually scheduled it right after those events on purpose because people were obviously very nervous about the whole thing. This gave them information that they can do something … and what it is that they could do.”
Joining Philomath Fire and Rescue’s Ferguson and Saalsaa were Rick Harris of the Oregon Department of Forestry and Chelsea Chytka of Benton County Emergency Management. Benton County CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) and Philomath Fire and Rescue volunteers helped with various tasks.
Benton County Undersheriff Don Rogers, Philomath City Councilor Ruth Causey and Benton County Commissioner Pat Malone were among those in attendance.
In all, Saalsaa estimated attendance at around 50.
“We actually had a very good mix of people,” Saalsaa said, mentioning that in addition to Philomath residents, there were also attendees from Kings Valley, Blodgett, Summit and even Lincoln County. “We were actually rather pleased for a Tuesday night to have the people that we had.”
Topics included defensible space, evacuation levels, and fire danger definitions and restrictions.
“I think the biggest message is don’t wait until the last minute — there’s not enough time,” Saalsaa said in reference to evacuations. “You know when we say ‘go,’ that means go now. You can’t pack, you literally grab the kids and the pets and you’re off on the road.”
The agency representatives fielded questions from those in attendance, including those interested in evacuation notifications and how to manage animals and pets.
Twelve property owners at the event signed up for a defensible space assessment.
“So far I have seven property owners scheduled and another five I’m waiting to hear back from,” Saalsaa said. “So that’s a pretty good result, too, from the people that were there.”
So what exactly is a defensible space assessment?
“We come out and basically take a look at a property and try to define how to make their property more resilient when it comes to wildland fire,” Saalsaa said. “Wildland fire’s going to do what wildland fire’s going to do but there are steps that people can take.”
