Investigators are looking into the cause of a brush fire that burned at least a couple of acres off Southshore Drive west of Umatilla.
The Umatilla Rural Fire Protection District (URFPD) was called just after 7:30 p.m. on Monday with a report of the fire. When first units arrived the fire was burning about two acres of tall, dry grass. Due to the high winds the fire spread rapidly. Along with three engines and five firefighters from URFPD, a call for mutual aid was sent to Umatilla County Fire District #1 which sent six engines and 12 firefighters, Irrigon Rural Fire Protection District which sent one engine and two firefighters, the U.S. Department of Fish and Wildlife which sent one engine and four firefighters, and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife which sent a disc and one firefighter.
With the coordinated efforts of all five agencies, the fire was pinched off the river and kept away from many structures in the area. Winds were 10-15 mph and gusting to as much as 21 mph.
“This was rapidly increasing the rate of fire spread,” said Assistant Fire Chief Rob Tooley.
The fire was fully contained at approximately 8:15 p.m., and crews were on site mopping up until about 3 a.m. Tuesday morning. The area will be monitored by the URFPD and ODFW for the next several days.
There were no injuries and no structures were lost. The cause of the fire is unknown at this time.
