Philomath Fire and Rescue’s staff and volunteers saw an uptick in the number of calls over the past week, a stretch that included the deployment of three personnel from the local contingent to the Elk Lane Fire near Madras.
Lt. Paula Anderson, resident volunteer firefighter Kolton Guilford and a heavy brush fire engine were part of a task force sent to the wildfire. Aaron Harris, Adair Rural Fire and Rescue’s fire chief, was deployed as well as the engine boss.
Lightning on the evening of Aug. 4 sparked the Elk Lane Fire, located about 7 miles northwest of Madras. Philomath Fire and Rescue Deputy Fire Chief Rich Saalsaa, who is at the scene as part of an incident management team’s public information officer, said high winds, heat and low humidity led to the fire spreading quickly.
Saalsaa said a Central Oregon team assumed command of the fire on the morning of Aug. 5. Soon after, the governor invoked the Emergency Conflagration Act, which led to the Oregon State Fire Marshal’s Red Incident Management Team heading to the scene in the early afternoon on the same day.
“The task forces were made up of several Oregon fire agency apparatus and personnel to assist with protecting the nearly 500 structures directly threatened by the fire,” Saalsaa said, who serves with the Red team. “No residential structures were lost because of this coordinated response.”
As of Friday morning, the fire had burned over 5,100 acres and was 40% contained.
The Oregon State Fire Marshal’s Office is in the process of returning units to their home stations, which will be completed by Saturday, Saalsaa said.
Near-drowning, brush fire
Philomath Fire and Rescue reported a near-drowning incident in the Little Luckiamute River in Kings Valley and a power pole fire on Beaver Creek Road southwest of Philomath — both of those responses occurring Wednesday.
Hoskins-Kings Valley Rural Fire responded with a rescue unit at around 4:40 p.m. to Tatum Lane for the near-drowning call. Philomath Fire and Rescue went to the scene as well as part of an automatic aid agreement. Upon the Philomath crew’s arrival, a 34-year-old man from the Newport area was being loaded onto a backboard by Hoskins-Kings Valley personnel.
The crews worked together to bring the man up to Tatum Lane from the river to meet an ambulance. He was reportedly in stable condition and transported via Corvallis Fire medics to Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center in Corvallis.
Two hours later at 6:41 p.m., firefighters were dispatched to a report of a power pole fire and small brush fire along Beaver Creek Road.
Saalsaa said that by the time crews arrived, a property owner had mostly extinguished it. Firefighters followed up to make sure the fire was fully extinguished. Consumers Power Inc. was notified of the issue. Philomath’s response included Chief Chancy Ferguson as the duty officer and a light brush engine.