Several small fires reported in the area

The combination of rainy, snowy fall weather that warms up in the afternoons made for a busy day and night of firefighting Thursday by forest firefighting crews.

“It was one of those days we were getting ready to do some prescribed burns and it all broke loose about 3 p.m. and we wound up with guys out fighting fires all over the place until 8 or 9 last night,” said Keith Schollenberger of the Oregon Department of Forestry office in Baker City.

One of the fires ODF crews helped the Forest Service battle Thursday afternoon and evening spread from what appeared to be a hunter’s warming fire that heated up in the afternoon and wound up burning 6 acres in the Sawmill Gulch area near Sumpter before firefighters got it extinguished, Schollenberger said.

“It’s cold and snowy, and guys don’t think putting their fire out is really that critical. Then it warms up in the afternoon and two or three days later we’re out fighting a fire,” he said.

In addition to the Sawmill Gulch fire, Schollenberger said fire crews from the ODF and Forest Service were out fighting small fires, mostly on Forest Service lands.

“We had a flurry of fires yesterday, said Noel Livingston, district fire managment officer for Burnt Powder fire zone. “We had three engines and crews out yesterday fighting fires, mostly in the Eagle Creek area near Tamarack Campground and in the Sumpter Valley.”

“It appears they were started by warming fires we suspect were started by hunters, and they walked off and left them,” Livingston said.

He said the Forest Service has also had several reports of additional fires today and spotters are out looking for them.

Other Tuesday afternoon and evening fires included a fire in the Black Mountain area that appeared to have started from a slash pile burn that heated up and got away.

“Somebody burned some piles during the week and a few days later they started smoking,” Schollenberger said.

Area fire crews also responded to forest fires in the Union Creek area and one between Lily White and Road 1070, he said.

“This is probably a good time to remind people that fire season is not over,” Schollenberger said. “This is actually the time when I wind up with the most small incidents.

“The fall is one of our busiest times,” Schollenberger said. “What happens is the weather gets wet and people start feeling pretty complacent.

“All of a sudden it heats up and dries out, and we are fighting fires,” Schollenberger said.