LEBANON, Ore. – Firefighters stopped a fast-moving fire from destroying a second home after flames from a burning mobile home spread uphill through heavy brush on Hilltop Drive, according to the Lebanon Fire District.
LFD officials said crews were called to the 40,000 block of Hilltop Drive around 2:38 p.m. on Saturday. When Battalion Chief 31 arrived, he found a double-wide mobile home fully engulfed in flames with wind pushing the fire uphill toward another structure about 500 feet away. Firefighters from Lebanon Fire District, the Oregon Department of Forestry and mutual-aid crews launched a direct attack using engines and brush vehicles. At the same time, the Linn County Sheriff’s Office helped evacuate 18 people from homes at the end of Hilltop Drive.
The fire kept spreading, forcing commanders to call for a second and then third alarm to bring more firefighters, equipment and water to the scene. Crews faced narrow dirt roads, steep terrain, extreme heat and thick blackberry bushes that made it hard to move around. Firefighters initially wore structural gear for the mobile home fire but had no time to switch to wildland gear until after they knocked down the flames.
About 20 minutes after the first chief arrived, firefighters stopped the fire’s forward progress before it reached the threatened home. Crews continued battling flare-ups and cooling hot spots throughout the afternoon.
ODF brought in a dozer to establish a fire line around the entire burn area, helping crews secure the perimeter. Evacuations stayed in place while firefighters worked to eliminate remaining threats and were lifted around 5:36 p.m. after crews determined the immediate danger had been controlled.
Firefighters stayed on scene until about 8 p.m. finishing cleanup operations. The only structure lost was the original mobile home. The cause remains under investigation.
The incident brought together eight brush vehicles, four engines, two medic units with their assigned firefighters, seven water tenders, two chief officers and one dozer. Sweet Home Fire and Rescue, Brownsville Fire District, Halsey-Shedd Fire District, Albany Fire Department, Scio Fire District, Tangent Fire District, ODF and the Linn County Sheriff’s Office all responded.
While Lebanon crews fought the fire, Albany Fire Department provided an engine and two medic units to maintain emergency coverage within the district.