Around 30 firefighters from multiple agencies and at least seven fire vehicles responded to a three-alarm grass fire outside of Scio Saturday afternoon.
Jay Alley, assistant chief with the Stayton Fire District, said firefighters were called out to the scene at around 2:30 p.m. Saturday and took around 45 minutes to control the blaze, which took place near the intersection of Spring Valley and Valley View drives.
Around 4 p.m. firefighters were still hosing off the burned field with water.
Alley said the fire spread quickly due to high winds. He added that no structures were impacted, nor was anyone hurt by the blaze, which consumed about 5 acres of grass.
According to Alley, the fire started while a property owner was out mowing a field. Recent cooler temperatures have been deceptive because conditions are still very dry, he added.
People are also reading…
“You still need to be vigilant,” he said. “We’re not out of fire season yet.”
He said people should avoid mowing if they can and carry a fire extinguisher or a hand tool if they need to mow.
“As dry as it is, if you are mowing or things like that you need to be extra cautious,” he said.
Scio Fire District, Aumsville Rural Fire District, Lyons Rural Fire District, and Oregon Department of Forestry also responded to the incident.
Anthony Rimel covers weekend events, education, courts and crime and can be reached at anthony.rimel@lee.net, 541-812-6091, or via Twitter @anthonyrimel.