Another WIldfire on Orcas
17/06/09 16:36 Filed in: Wildland
Fires
Another Wildland Fire on Orcas!
Aaron Patten was in a boat on his way back from Blakely Island when he noticed a lot of smoke on Deer Point. He quickly docked and found the source. It was a hillside on fire, just below a home. He got help from Seth Ybarra, who was working nearby and they both fought the fire with the homeowner's hose and tools. Seth is a new firefighter and had also just completed the district's annual wildfire safety training. He called the emergency in on his district 2-way radio and additional firefighters were en-route even before an exact address could be broadcast.
Earlier in the day, the homeowner had carefully extinguished a small permitted fire. No heat or even steam was rising up from the site by noon and it was checked throughout the afternoon. Confident the fire was completely out, the owner made a trip into town. While he was gone, that fire came back to life.
The fire spread 100 feet up the hillside to the base of the home, contacting it in 3 different places. Thanks to a concrete foundation and good wildland clean up, the fire did not ignite the siding. It moved under the deck area where the yard tools had been set, well away from the burn site. There it burned around 2 gasoline containers, a small brush burner and a weed eater. Amazingly, these did not catch fire although one gas container had begun to melt. Thankfully, a concerned citizen followed up and a firefighter with communications was near by or it could have been an entirely different outcome. Brush Engine 21, Doe Bay Engine 25 and Eastsound Engine 21 responded. However, Seth and Aaron had the fire under control and only the brush engine was needed for "mop up" of the remaining hot spots.
Deputy Fire Marshal Paul Turner investigated the site and determined the permit holder had done everything right. "He'd watered it down and checked it twice before leaving. There was an unburned ring completely around the fire, which shows he had properly watered the area. Which leads me to believe it may have gone underground. That's all we can figure out." (In the photo, Lt. Jeff Jones is standing at the fire ring which shows unburned area around it.)
The unusually dry weather has increased fire danger HIGH, which is very unusual for Orcas Island in June. Because of this danger outdoor burning has been closed early. Small, attended campfire of 2 feet or less are still allowed at this time.
Burned area shows the fire actually contacted the foundation but good clean up and concrete kept it from spreading to the home.
Aaron Patten was in a boat on his way back from Blakely Island when he noticed a lot of smoke on Deer Point. He quickly docked and found the source. It was a hillside on fire, just below a home. He got help from Seth Ybarra, who was working nearby and they both fought the fire with the homeowner's hose and tools. Seth is a new firefighter and had also just completed the district's annual wildfire safety training. He called the emergency in on his district 2-way radio and additional firefighters were en-route even before an exact address could be broadcast.
Earlier in the day, the homeowner had carefully extinguished a small permitted fire. No heat or even steam was rising up from the site by noon and it was checked throughout the afternoon. Confident the fire was completely out, the owner made a trip into town. While he was gone, that fire came back to life.
The fire spread 100 feet up the hillside to the base of the home, contacting it in 3 different places. Thanks to a concrete foundation and good wildland clean up, the fire did not ignite the siding. It moved under the deck area where the yard tools had been set, well away from the burn site. There it burned around 2 gasoline containers, a small brush burner and a weed eater. Amazingly, these did not catch fire although one gas container had begun to melt. Thankfully, a concerned citizen followed up and a firefighter with communications was near by or it could have been an entirely different outcome. Brush Engine 21, Doe Bay Engine 25 and Eastsound Engine 21 responded. However, Seth and Aaron had the fire under control and only the brush engine was needed for "mop up" of the remaining hot spots.
Deputy Fire Marshal Paul Turner investigated the site and determined the permit holder had done everything right. "He'd watered it down and checked it twice before leaving. There was an unburned ring completely around the fire, which shows he had properly watered the area. Which leads me to believe it may have gone underground. That's all we can figure out." (In the photo, Lt. Jeff Jones is standing at the fire ring which shows unburned area around it.)
The unusually dry weather has increased fire danger HIGH, which is very unusual for Orcas Island in June. Because of this danger outdoor burning has been closed early. Small, attended campfire of 2 feet or less are still allowed at this time.
Burned area shows the fire actually contacted the foundation but good clean up and concrete kept it from spreading to the home.