5:30 p.m. update: Fire crews have left the scene as thunderstorms move in, FGF&R said.
They promised a return Sunday morning, which is forecast to be clear.
“We are preparing for more lightning caused fires, but the rain is a significant boost,” FGF&R said.
The agency cautioned that fires can still start, even in the rain.
4:35 p.m. update: The second fire is 90% lined, Forest Grove Fire & Rescue said. Crews from the Oregon Department of Forestry, South Fork Forest Camp, and Stimson Lumber had hiked in to reach the fire, which was nearly a mile from the nearest road over steep terrain.
“Barring any major change in winds and weather, these fires will remain small. Crews are carefully watching the storms tracking this way, and will have to pull back if lightning becomes a threat to them,” FGF&R said.
3:15 p.m. update: The outlook on two small wildfires in the area is good.
“We’ve got really good humidity today,” said FGF&R spokesperson Dave Nemeyer in an interview held on Soda Springs Road about 1/4 mile below the city of Forest Grove Watershed. “Conditions out here are pretty good for August for us to be fighting fire in.”
“The first fire is 100% lined,” Nemeyer said.
The second fire, last estimated at one eight of an acre and much more difficult to get to, was being accessed by crews from the Oregon Department of Forestry and crews from South Fork Forest Camp, Nemeyer said.
While a helicopter had been requested, numerous other fires throughout the state had made getting air support a struggle. For now, hand crews were hiking in and attempting to get a dozer in.
“Hopefully they can get [a helicopter] here in the last couple hours of daylight,” Nemeyer said.
The second fire’s location was somewhat uncertain; crews weren’t sure if it was on the watershed property or on bordering Stimson land, Nemeyer said.
No homes were threatened by either fire.
Watching the weather, Nemeyer said that it’s hoped rain will come Saturday evening and aid firefighters.
2:40 p.m. Update: A passing ODF crew member said the first fire has been encircled, according to a Soda Springs Road resident. That news was confirmed by Forest Grove Fire & Rescue, who described the first fire as being “actively controlled.”
There was no threat to the city’s drinking water at this time, FGF&R said.
2:15 p.m. Update:
The Oregon Department of Forestry is working to get a helicopter to attack the second wildfire FGF&R spokesperson Dave Nemeyer said. Also 1/8 of an acre, the fire is about 4,000 feet off a road in the city’s watershed and “requires extensive hose lays up and down hills, which may make it really tough to do,” Nemeyer said.
One plan being considered by Stimson Lumber crews is to build an emergency road with a dozer, but Nemeyer said that plan was not yet decided upon.
Original story below:
Forest Grove Fire & Rescue and the Oregon Department of Forestry are on scene at a wildfire in Gales Creek believed to have been sparked by a lightning strike near Soda Springs Road, FGF&R said in a social media post early Saturday afternoon.
In a message to the Gales Creek Journal, FGF&R spokesperson Dave Nemeyer said the fire was estimated to be one-eight of an acre in size just before 1 p.m. and burning in the city of Forest Grove Watershed on Clear Creek.
The Oregon Department of Forestry was on scene with a 10-person prison crew from South Fork Forest Camp and an engine to fight the fire.
“We are working with Oregon Department of Forestry to gain access to the fire. It is putting up smoke that is visible from the Gales Creek area as well as the west side of Forest Grove,” FGF&R said.
Meanwhile, Nemeyer said, a second smoke column was confirmed to be a second fire and ODF crews were attempting to gain access to the fire.
This is a developing story; it will be updated as more information becomes available.
Chas Hundley is the editor of the Gales Creek Journal and sister news publications the Banks Post and the Salmonberry Magazine. He grew up in Gales Creek and has a cat.
