Lebanon Fire District Busy, Sept. 13

The Lebanon Fire District was busy handling a second alarm grass and brush fire on Payne Drive, when things just continued to get busier over the next two hours. At 1:14pm the first call came in for a report of a small, rapidly growing fire in a back yard in the 38200 block of Payne Drive. Upon arrival crews found a fire approximately 50′ x 50′ rapidly spreading towards trees, heavy brush, and a house. Fire crews were able to quickly protect the structure but the fire continued to run towards the railroad tracks where it was able to jump across the tracks and begin to spread as a separate fire. A second alarm was called by the incident commander and crews from Albany and Scio responded with mutual aid. Firefighters deployed progressive hose lays to rapidly advance to the front of the fires and cut off their progress. The fire was estimated to have consumed three acres of grass and brush. There were no civilian or fire service injuries. While crews were working the Payne Drive second-alarm fire another first-alarm fire was reported at 31022 Santiam Highway near Pineway Road at 2:33pm. At the time, Lebanon’s district was being covered by off-duty Lebanon personnel and mutual aid crews from Sweet Home, Albany, and Brownsville, and those resources were dispatched to the fire along with a Lebanon Division Chief. Upon arrival, the incident commander reported a small fire approximately 20 feet in diameter in some grass and brush with a live, arcing power line on the ground in the middle of the fire. Fire crews kept clear of the main body of fire due to the electrical hazard and proceeded to wet the surrounding area between the fire and unburned fuels, including a single family home. Consumers Power was contacted to secure the power lines and once power was cut to the lines fire crews moved in to put out the fire. The Oregon Department of Forestry also responded to assist crews on scene with two engines, a ten der, and a dozer. Again, there were no civilian or firefighter injuries. While crews were working on scene on Highway 20, a motor vehicle accident occurred just yards away from fire apparatus as drivers were slowing to look at the scene. Firefighters broke away from the grass fire to tend to the accident patients while an ambulance crew from Albany responded. There were no injuries to the four occupants in two vehicles, but Highway 20 was completely shut down for approximately 45 minutes. As crews were breaking away from the Highway 20 fire scene a caller reported a 2-vehicle accident on Old Santiam Highway approximately a half-mile from the fire scene at 3:35pm. Firefighters and paramedics quickly responded and arrived to two vehicles with heavy damage, airbags deployed, and one male lying semi-conscious on the ground. From initial reports the driver of a Ford Ranger pickup lost control heading westbound around a bend in the road. The Ford slid sideways directly into the path of an eastbound Subaru SUV traveling at approximately 40 MPH. Two patients were transported from the scene and their medical conditions are unknown.