Portland Fire & Rescue Responds to Overnight Brush Fire on Hayden Island

August 02, 2023 11:05

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Portland Fire & Rescue Responds to Overnight Brush Fire on Hayden Island 

Portland Fire & Rescue (PFR) responded to a brush fire at 2:15 AM on the north side of Hayden Island, west of the I-5 bridge in open vegetation. A fire boat from Station 17 responded and was able to extinguish much of the fire from the Columbia River, but the distance from the boat to the fire was too far for all the fire to be eliminated using the large master streams from the boat. The fire was then upgraded to a wildland fire assignment which added several additional land-based units to the incident. In the end, the specialized wildland fire units from PF&R worked for nearly 5 hours to eliminate the flames and completely extinguish the fire. The cause of the fire is under investigation and there were no reported injuries.

Upon the dispatch, Fire Boat 17 responded and found fire near the bank of the river and used multiple turret deck guns to extinguish the bulk of the fire that was reported to be initially nearly 1000’ in length and 200’ in width, running slowly in heavy vegetation that included grasses, shrubs, and trees. Responding land-based crews had to cut through several locked gates to access the fire, with fire engine progress difficult due to the narrow paths and sandy soils. These access limitations required specialized wildland fire suppression units to be deployed to the scene.

Water supply issues at this fire were a challenge that crews had to strategically address. A fire engine was able to connect to a fire hydrant that was located nearly ½ mile from the fire, so a water shuttle operation and alternative pumping units were employed to extinguish the fire. Two 4WD brush unit fire engines with smaller tanks and hose allotments were cycling from the scene of the fire to the hydrant repeatedly to provide and pump the required amount of water needed to extinguish the fire. The fire boat that was initially deployed to this incident was exchanged for a rescue boat, which—because of its shallower draft--was able to get close enough to shore to be able to draw water from the Columbia River and pump this river water to the land-based crews for them to use in the extinguishment process.

With embers traveling upward and landing in dry vegetation away from the main body of fire, spot fires were also an issue during the incident. Specialized ATVs with water pumping capabilities were used to access and address these fires to prevent additional fire growth throughout the event.

There were 20 firefighters working throughout this 5-hour incident with 3 fire engines, two brush units, 2 single person ATV’s--along the two fire boats—that were used to eventually eliminate the flames. 

This fire was on open land, not a park property. But parks and natural areas make up the most public land across the city. Portland Fire & Rescue in conjunction with Portland Parks & Recreation would like to remind you to call 911 if you see an open flame or smoke within park properties. If you encounter any non-emergency matter in a City park or natural area, please call the Portland Park Ranger Hotline at (503) 823-1637. For emergencies, such as fires or crimes in progress, call 911.

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