(Update: Adding third fire, started by illegal firework)
Third fire of afternoon; homeowner cited for reckless burning; BBQ without ash tray sparks 2nd blaze
REDMOND, Ore. (KTVZ) – Redmond firefighters’ busy Fourth of July continued early Thursday evening, when a Ring doorbell camera caught a motorist pulling over and firing an illegal firework mortar, sparking a one-acre grass fire below a Bonneville Power Administration transmission line and a police hunt for the culprit.
The first of two earlier blazes, a grass fire in Terrebonne, led to a reckless burning citation of a resident who had been burning cheatgrass, over a month after burn season ended. A second blaze broke out a short time later in the backyard of a southwest Redmond duplex and was traced to a barbecue lacking an ash-catching tray beneath it, igniting dry grass.
The third fire was reported shortly after 5 p.m. near Southwest Obsidian Avenue and 39th Street.
“An individual pulled up and lift off an illegal firework, a mortar, caught the grass on fire, then took off,” Redmond Fire Marshal Tom Mooney said.
The resulting fire damaged some poles stored on the ground. Mooney said it burned about an acre near a construction area for single-family homes. He said the culprit could face an arson charge, depending on what police investigators determine.
The first blaze was called in as a possible structure fire shortly after 2 p.m. in the 5000 block of Northwest 10th Street in Terrebonne and put up a tall, black smoke plume, possibly due to a large Ponderosa pine tree that was ablaze, Mooney said.
But crews arrived to find a fire in brush and grass that burned the corner of a home’s deck but was kept from causing more damage or reaching two propane tanks. However, the one-acre fire did spread to a neighboring property and burned a travel trailer, Mooney said.
The fire was caused by someone burning cheatgrass who was cited for reckless burning, a Class A misdemeanor that will require a court appearance, the fire marshal said.
That fire was declared under control shortly after 3 p.m. Another fire was reported 20 minutes later in the backyard of a Redmond duplex near the intersection of Southwest Umatilla Avenue and 25th Street. Police responded quickly and used garden hoses to knock it down, Mooney said.
In that case, the cause was traced to a backyard charcoal barbecue that did not have an ash an in place to catch the ash, which fell onto dead grass and ignited, the fire official said.
Mooney said outdoor burning was closed June 1st.
“It’s super-hot and dry,” he said. “We’re not playing around – it’s hot, it’s dry, and if you set a fire intentionally, there ‘s likely to be a citation.”
“The cheatgrass is knee-high and dry, primed and ready to go,” Mooney said. “It just needs a little spark to get it going.”