Wind-fanned brush fire in Redmond’s Dry Canyon prompts evacuations; legal fireworks the cause, four teens cited
Barney Lerten
(Update: Adding video; cause, four teens cited)
REDMOND, Ore. (KTVZ) — Four teens were cited late Monday for using legal fireworks that sparked a one-acre brush fire in Redmond’s Dry Canyon Park and prompted Level 3 GO NOW evacuation of 21 threatened homes, Redmond Fire Marshal Tom Mooney said.
The Quartz Fire was reported around 5:20 p.m. north of Quartz Park and Obsidian Avenue and quickly put up smoke visible over a wide area.
Mooney said 911 callers were reporting a fast-moving brush fire spreading to the southeast and threatening homes along SW Canyon Drive.
Due to the wind-fanned spread of the fire, Level 3 GO NOW evacuations were issued by the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office for 21 homes on Canyon Drive, between Newberry and Quartz avenues.
“It is human-caused, by legal fireworks,” Redmond Fire Marshal Tom Mooney told KTVZ News. A joint investigation was underway by Redmond Fire and Redmond Police, he added.
Crews protected the threatened homes, and when the fire’s spread was stopped, the Level 3 evacuations were dropped to Level 2 BE SET, then Level 1 BE READY, DCSO Public Information Officer Jason Carr told us.
Forward progress of the fire was stopped before 6 p.m., but Mooney said crews would be on scene until the fire is “mopped up and cold.” Other agencies involved in stopping the fire included crews from Bend, Cloverdale, Sisters-Camp Sherman and the BLM.
A fire investigator arrived on scene and determined the fire to be human-caused due to the intentional use of legal-type fireworks, Mooney said.
“Through the assistance of multiple witnesses within the area, Redmond Police were able to identify four juveniles ranging in age (from) 15-16 years old who were reported in the area,” he said.
“The juveniles were contacted by Redmond Police, and it was determined that they had used fireworks to cause the fire within the canyon,” Mooney said. “The four juveniles were cited for reckless burning and criminal mischief and released to their parents’ custody.”
The fire occurred five days after another fast-moving vegetation fire broke out in another area of the Dry Canyon, south of Northwest Maple Avenue. It burned about three acres before it was quickly stopped.
And it happened a day before Redmond city councilors are meeting to discuss whether to ban personal-use fireworks in the city over the upcoming Fourth of July weekend.