The Sweet Home Fire and Ambulance District (SHFAD) was dispatched to a barn fire, which was spreading into old-growth trees Sunday, Aug. 18.
Due to the location between the SHFAD and the Brownsville Fire District (BFD), this fire triggered an automatic aid response, which called in Brownsville Fire District, Halsey Fire District, the Crawfordville Station and the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF).
According to Battalion Chief Shannon Pettner, the fire was found to be in a small shed, rather than a barn. The first unit on scene was a pumper tender from the Crawfordsville station, which was able to knock down the fire utilizing the tactical spray bars on their apparatus and put the fire out in minutes, according to Pettner. This led to the cancellation of additional resources including: 12 SHFAD personnel, nine BFD personnel, and an unidentified number of other personnel from ODF and the Halsey Fire District. While these additional resources were canceled, the remaining few on scene were used to overhaul the remnants of the structure and mop-up the wildland interface area surrounding the structure. The cause of the fire was ruled to be unintentional and is still undetermined.
According to Pettner, the area of origin contained an extension cord, power strip and an unidentified object destroyed by the fire. The breaker, which powered the cord, was found to be tripped at the panel. No injuries were reported, though the structure and its contents were a total loss.
(All photos were provided by Evan Milburn)