Portland Fire & Rescue (PF&R) returned to Hayden Island just after 5PM for a wild fire in the same area as the recent overnight fire. This wild fire was estimated to be 5 acres in total. Crews used similar tactics as the overnight fire with the smaller 4WD brush rigs used to shuttle water to the established hose lines for crews to use in fire suppression activities. In total, there were 56 firefighters on scene addressing the flames. The fire is under control and no buildings are under the threat of fire impingement.
The initial dispatch sent the closest engine on a smoke investigation, with knowledge of the location and the size of the smoke column upon approach, a few wild fire specialized rigs including brush units and mobile ATVs. As the crew arrived and the size of the fire was visible, showing a wall of flames climbing upwards of 15’ into the trees, a complete wild fire box assignment was requested. With the timing of the fire being at rush hour traffic and the only access to the incident was on I5 north, making any progress was difficult with standstill traffic. With concerns of the delayed arrival due to the traffic congestion, the first arriving chief asked for a second alarm assignment to get workforce to the site in the event the fire continued to grow. This second alarm added multiple water tenders which carry over 3000 gallons of water along with a rescue boat from Portland Fire & Rescue and Vancouver Fire Boat to aid in fighting the fire from the water’s edge.
The initial fire was moving quickly to the east with a light wind pushing it forward toward the railroad tracks that split the island and the commercial structures located at the edge of the open space. This area is a true wild fire setting with varied topography, mixed vegetation, sandy soils, and thick brush and unlike much of the fire addressed regularly by Portland Fire.
The tactics used were like the overnight fire with the brush rigs shuttling 225 gallons at time and pumping at high pressure and low volumes through the smaller diameter hoses to be able to extend the gallonage using smaller amounts of water. During the fire suppression activities throughout the incident, water was applied in many different styles. Vancouver Fire Boat travelled along the water line applying water from their deck guns as far as they could reach, water was drawn from the river and pumped from the rescue boat to a trunk line to be spilt into multiple hand lines operated by land based firefighters, brush units were able to pump and roll through the fire and apply water from their hard line booster hoses, and some hoses were set in place for additional brush units pump water into with a need to cycle back to the fire hydrant to refill the 225g tank when empty. Lastly, a large diameter deck gun off a water tender that carries upwards of 3000g of water was used at the end of the incident to address some tough to reach fire in the trees.
After 3 hours of work, with the sun setting, the command officer considered the fire under control with many of the 56 firefighters remaining on scene to continue to mop up any hot spots in the burned area. The plan is to stay at the scene until darkness sets in and return in the morning the continue to apply water to any locations of hot soils or hidden fire.
Challenges faced on this fire were more than the traffic slowing the arrival of responding crews. The sandy soils were grabbing any vehicle that ended up off the main path, large trees and branches damaged by fire were at risk of falling and injuring working firefighters. These trees were in danger of falling were marked with orange tape to provide a visual safety marker for crews working. Water supply was limited, and a shuttle system was employed to provide water throughout the incident. Lastly, burned up stumps and tall areas of hot ash were hazards crews needed to avoid when working.
