Two fields, one fence: Three fires keep area crews, police busy
"As the saying goes, police officers and firefighters have one thing in common, they both want to be firefighters," said Forest Grove Fire & Rescue after police put out a fence fire before fire crews could arrive.
Local fire crews in and near Forest Grove have kept busy Monday, responding to a field fire on Plum Hill Lane, a smaller field fire near the Cornelius-Schefflin Road and Verboort Road roundabout, and a fence fire on Chestnut Street in the development near David Hill Road and Highway 47.
Read out story about the Plum Hill Lane fire here.
A tiny field fire in Cornelius Fire District's jurisdiction near the Cornelius-Schefflin Road and Verboort Road roundabout was in the final stages of mop-up around 3:0:9 p.m. with a handful of Forest Grove Fire staff on scene as well.
While this journalist was in conversation with Forest Grove Fire & Rescue Public Information Officer Matt Johnston, a residential fire was reported, cutting newsgathering for that fire short. Johnston hopped in a truck and was off to the next fire.
According to the Cornelius Fire Department, the Washington County Sheriff's Office alerted the agency to a small field fire just before 3 p.m.
Arriving a few minutes later, crews found several small fires burning in a field that was being processed by a combine, the likely cause of the fires.
"With the help of farmers, we were able to quickly extinguish the small fires," Cornelius Fire said. "In total the dozen fires burned about 50 square feet."
"This is a good reminder that conditions are dry. If working outside with power equipment, take precautions such as having tools to quickly extinguish a fire if one is to start."
Meanwhile, Forest Grove crews were headed back to the city, but someone else beat them to the punch.
"Just after our crews had gotten back in service from the field fire on Plum Hill Lane, we were dispatched to a reported fence on fire on Chestnut Street. The fire was threatening to spread to nearby houses," Forest Grove Fire & Rescue said
But when their crews arrived, there was no smoke or fire visible. As it turns out, the Forest Grove Police Department, dispatched to the scene as well, had arrived first and extinguished the flames with garden hoses.
"As the saying goes, police officers and firefighters have one thing in common, they both want to be firefighters," FGF&R quipped in a social media post describing the incident. "Joking aside, we are glad the fire was kept the fence and didn’t damage either home."
The agency said the fire appeared to have been started by the home's occupant, who had used a torch to kill weeds several hours before.
"An ember likely spread to the nearby barkdust and smoldered until the high temps of the afternoon allowed the hot spot to grow," FGF&R said. "Please limit use of open flames outdoors this summer, and try to use alternatives to killings weeds," the agency said.
This story has been updated with additional information regarding the small field fires near Verboort Road.
