Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue Battles 3 Fires in 9 Hours

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Firefighters from Tualatin Valley Fire and Rescue have been busy on February 6th, 2012, battling three fires that broke out between 4:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. No one was injured and two of the three fires are under investigation.

The first fire was reported just before 4:00 a.m. at 17289 NW Countryridge Drive in the Rock Creek area. Firefighters arrived to find heavy smoke and flames coming from the home. Firefighters quickly determined no one was inside the home and worked to keep the wind driven fire from spreading to surrounding structures. The house was seriously damaged and investigators are working to find a cause of the fire.

The second fire was reported at 10:46 a.m. on Highway 99 near the Tualatin National Wildlife Refuge. A property owner had been intentionally burning blackberry  bushes on his property near the road when wind unexpectedly fanned the flames and caused them to spread to a nearby field. People driving on Highway 99 called 911 reporting large flames moving towards a nearby home. Firefighters from TVF&R's King City Station 35 arrived minutes later and, with the help of TVF&R Engine 50, firefighters were able to stop the flames before they spread to a nearby home.

"Even in the winter, the grass is dry enough to burn," says TVF&R Public Information Officer Brian Barker, "combine this unusual dry spell with the wind we're getting today and you have a recipe for fast moving fires. This is a good reminder to use extreme caution with fire year round."

TVF&R's third fire of the day was reported at 1:00 at 9400 SW Clark Hill Road in Washington County. A property owner called 911 reporting that a greenhouse was on fire. Firefighters from TVF&R's Aloha and Beaverton fire stations arrived minutes later to find a 20 foot by 40 foot structure on fire. Firefighters quickly determined that no one was in the burning building and focused on ensuring the flames didn't spread to nearby vegetation. Because there are no fire hydrants in the area, TVF&R was assisted by a water tender from Washington County Fire District 2. The cause of the fire is under investigation.



Author:Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue Press Release