Back yard blaze proved challenging
SPRINGFIELD – Eugene Springfield Fire responded to a house fire in east Springfield late Monday night. Firefighters were first alerted to the fire at 10:50 p.m. in the 100 block of 51st Street with callers reporting a fire in the back yard extending to the deck. Engine 14 arrived three and a half minutes after dispatch to find a heavy fire from the back of the home which had extended to the attic. Firefighting efforts were hampered by access to the seat of the fire in the attic due to the space being used for storage, according to the news release. Due to rapidly deteriorating conditions and a partial roof collapse, crews had to back out and utilize a 1,000 gallon per minute aerial master stream to bring the fire under control. In all, it took an hour to control the fire. The resident and their pet made it out safely. The fire is under investigation. — Chronicle news service
Springfield house fire squashed quickly
SPRINGFIELD — Eugene Springfield Fire responded to a house fire late Aug. 19 in the 1200 block of Parker Avenue. Just after 10 p.m., the Station 4 crew arrived to find heavy fire from the garage extending to the attic. Crews confirmed through their search that everyone was out of the home. The fire took about 20 minutes to fully control and crews remained on scene for two hours ensuring all hot spots were out. The cause is under investigation. — Chronicle news service
K9 sniffs out $20K in meth, fentanyl in Springfield
SPRINGFIELD — Springfield Police Department’s K9 Cash and his partner recently seized over four pounds of narcotics before they were able to reach Springfield’s streets, according to a recent news release. The team located four pounds of methamphetamine and over a quarter pound of fentanyl. As little as two milligrams of fentanyl is considered a lethal dose. The narcotics seized have an estimated street value of nearly $20,000.
Out with the old fire station, in with the new
PLEASANT HILL — Last Friday, Aug. 23, the siren at the Pleasant Hill fire station at 36024 Hwy 58 was sounded — but not for an emergency. The siren was a goodbye to the fire station as the Pleasant Hill Goshen Fire & Rescue (PHGFR) fire district prepares to demolish and rebuild it.
In 2023, when the community voted to dissolve several fire districts and condense them into a single district, reconstruction of the Pleasant Hill fire station was a major goal. The station was formally closed last week, and construction will begin within the next year.
As for the siren, it will be kept at the new fire station. Andrew Smith, fire chief of PHGFR, hopes to keep it where it can still be used in the event that normal means of communication are down, he said. More info: pleasanthillgoshenfire.org and 541-747-3104. — Ember Holman
Cool weather calming wildfires
With some surprisingly cooler weather for Lane County this August, the fires are starting to dwindle earlier than usual.
The largest fire in the county, the Lane 1 Fire, is at 25,266 acres as of Aug. 27, but it is at 93% containment according to the WatchDuty App. This fire is southeast of Dorena Lake and still has an active Level 3 (Go) evacuation notice for Bohemia Mining District and Fairview Peak.
The No Man Fire, just a few miles south of the Lane 1 Fire, has increased to 2,076 acres and remains at 32% containment, as of Aug. 27.
The Salmon 33 Fire, just east of the No Man Fire, is one of the few fires that have reached 100% containment in the county. According to Cornea (a fire monitoring website), the fire reached 275 acres before it was fully contained.
The Horse Heaven Creek Fire is about 45 miles southeast of Cottage Grove and has only grown a couple acres since last week. As of Aug. 27 it is at 2,296 acres and 64% containment.
The Coffeepot Fire is the other fire in the county to reach 100% containment. This fire, about 10 miles southeast of Oakridge, was at 6,179 acres according to Cornea.
The other fire near Oakridge, about 20 miles northeast of the city, is The Chalk Fire. As of Aug. 27 it is at 5,689 acres and remains at 66% containment. This fire has also created a closure on recreation sites including North Fork Segment #2 and Trailhead Trail 1912 and 1919.
The Moss Mountain Fire, about 27 miles southeast of Oakridge, still remains at 0% containment and has grown to 865 acres as of Aug 27. The 208 Fire, about 15 miles southeast of the Moss Mountain Fire, also remains at 0% containment and is at 252 acres.
The Ore Fire is near Blue River and about 40 miles northeast of Springfield. This fire is 3,150 acres and 25% contained as of Aug 27.
The Chronicle checks the WatchDuty app to stay updated on fire containment and acres. The app is run by retired firefighters, dispatchers, first responders, and journalists working together to monitor radio scanners to provide notices and keep users alert on any fire danger.
To stay current on any evacuation notices in Lane County, sign up for alerts at LaneAlerts.org.
— Tatum Stuart and Ember Holman
