‘It’s dry out there:’ Parkdale, Wy’east firefighters respond to pair of challenging fires

Fire officials from both departments stressed the high fire danger in the Gorge.

“We are really asking people to be careful, things are so dry,” said Wy’east chief Greg Borton.

“I’d like to reiterate the high fire danger, the fuels are dry,” said Parkdale fire chief Mike McCafferty. “Please be cautious. There are too many odds against us,” he said, referring to the high temperatures and tinder dry fuels on the ground.

McCafferty said that on Sunday, firefighters received multiple calls from residents of Miller Road reporting a column of smoke in the treeline above the homes.

“It appeared to be growing, and we headed toward the Pinemont area and once on scene the smoke went away,” McCafferty said.

An ODFW helicopter was dispatched and operators did not initially see any smoke, but they found two loggers doing fuels reduction in the area, and officials learned that logging equipment had apparently thrown a spark off a rock, starting a 10-by-15 fire.

“They had self-extinguished on site when we arrived,” McCafferty said.

The spark had flown into the highly flammable layer of packed fine materials, known as duff, McCafferty said.

“It was lucky. He was being cautious, and was well aware of his surroundings and caught it in time,” McCafferty said. U.S. Forest Service investigators visited the site on Monday and McCafferty said the loggers were in compliance.

But seeing a column of smoke from afar, and heading that way only to lose sight of the smoke, “felt like a snipe hunt,” McCafferty said. “It was definitely a good column of smoke, and fortunately they were able to put it out before we arrived.”

National Scenic Area and US Forest Service firefighters also responded.

On Thursday, Wy’east Fire District were called to a mysterious fire down a steep bank off Highway 35 south of Hood River.

Firefighters had to descend the hillside, reeling out 400 feet of hose to get to the half-acre grass and brush fire along a fishing trail that goes down the slope and across the Mt. Hood Railroad tracks toward the Hood River. Borton said the fire was about a quarter-mile south of the lower viewpoint on Highway 35.

“It was an intense fire, and had the potential to spread,” Borton said.

“All of Wy’east responded and we put out a first alarm and got wildland backup from Gorge Scenic Area (personnel) and Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife,” Borton said, adding that McCafferty also assisted, and ODOT provided traffic direction given the degree of heavy smoke crossing the highway.

“It was climbing the hill and at one point we were concerned it might jump the highway,” Borton said.

The cause of the fire is under investigation, but two visits to the site by ODFW and Borton have so far yielded no specific evidence, according to Borton.

“”It was definitely suspicious,” Borton said. “We do know that it was not started by the railroad.”