A fire that officials say was started by a homeless man burned about one-tenth of an acre along Highway 20 just east of the Narrows Tuesday evening, June 29.
Firefighters from Sweet Home Fire and Ambulance District and Oregon Department of Forestry responded at about 10 p.m. to find the blaze climbing a tree about 200 feet east of Sun Lane on the north side of the highway.
“It had a pretty good column on it,” SHFAD Chief Dave Barringer said. “What was burning wasn’t a lot there, but it was burning good. It wasn’t spreading fast.”
He noted that although conditions are drying out, “it’s important for the public to know that the heightened season we had last year, we’re not there yet.”
“The fire’s activity was moderate on that fire. It went well. It went out fast.”
One firefighter felled the tree that was burning and 15 SHFAD firefighters with an engine, brush trucka and three tenders, with a batallion chief, were able to put the fire down quickly, Barringer said. “We had 9,000 gallons of water on the road.”
ODF Fire Supervisor Chad Calderwood said his department went in the next day and cut a trail around the fire site.
“There was lots of garbage there,” he said.
Calderwood said the camp’s occupant, Kirk Ferguson, 40, was at the location when firefighters arrived, and explosions were reported before SHFAD responded.
Barringer said Ferguson was “talking” when his crews arrived.
A Sheriff’s log entry said Ferguson was arrested for reckless burning after, according to the Sheriff’s Office, he told investigators he started fire because he thought people were after him. Further details were unavailable at press time.
Calderwood said Ferguson was taken to a local hospital for observation.