Salem-News.com Fire articles Page 39

Fiery Situation in California

Intense Heat Will Diminish as Wildfire Threat Continues.

(SACRAMENTO, Calif.) - Gusty winds today could offset cooler temperatures and an onshore flow along the California coast as firefighters battle dozens of wildfires sparked by a weekend of dry thunderstorms and lightning strikes, AccuWeather.com reports. Hundreds of lighrning strike generated fires broke out Sunday night in California's wine country, threatening over 100 homes and destroying at least one.

According to the AccuWeather.com West Regional Center, cooler air today will spread along the West Coast, following a weekend of record and near record heat in Southern California.

California Wildfires in the State`s Wine Country Ignited by Lightning (VIDEO)

Firefighters in California are working hard to control numerous fires.

(SALEM, Ore.) - Forecasters say a storm system that pushed into the Northwest touched off numerous thunderstorms across northern California on Saturday. According to Accuweather.com, the thunderstorms produced significant rain but also sparked lightning, igniting wildfires as the lightning bolts struck the extremely dry vegetation covering parts of northern California, predominantly in the state's wine country.

One of the biggest problems facing firefighters is the fact that rather than just a few spots, hundreds of wildfires were started by the lighting strikes, . The AP reports that this series of destructive fires in rain starved northern California was 10% contained Sunday morning.

Phone Lines in Washington Cities are Down

Authorities in Washington say people need to flag down police or fire if they experience an emergency until the problems are resolved; 911 is part of the failure.

(VANCOUVER, Wash.) - Clark County Fire & Rescue in Washington state says that at the present time, telephone lines in the Battleground and Yacolt area with the prefixes 342, 666, and 687 are down.

Henry Von Dem Fange, Public Information with Clark County Fire & rescue, says people can not call 911 at this time. We have not been able to learn exactly what the problems are that are resulting in the outage, we will advise when we learn more.

California Guard Forces Enter Battle Against Wildfires

A fire burning near Gilroy is approximately 20% contained.

(SACRAMENTO) - The California National Guard is providing three rotary aircraft to assist in extinguishing the 3,100 acre Santa Clara County Summit fire today.

A California National Guard spokesman says their organization responded quickly to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's call for support with a number of air assets. These aircraft departed their home stations at approximately 12:00 PM today en route to the fire just west of Gilroy, California.

Fire up the Grill, Not the Patio; BBQ Safety for the Memorial Day Weekend

There are many ways to have a good time and be safe.

(TUALATIN, Ore.) - There's nothing better than a backyard barbecue. Unfortunately, charcoal briquette and propane barbecues can pose a fire hazard if not used safely. Annually in the United States there are over 6,000 fires and 170 injuries due to barbecue grills.

Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue reminds Oregonians of several safety tips.

Gasoline Tanker Truck Crash Halts Highway 26 in Oregon

Highway 26 is closed in both directions with a detour using Barlow Trail Road

(WELCHES, Ore.) - Police say a tanker trailer loaded with approximately 4,000 gallons of gasoline separated from the semi truck that was hauling it this morning and crashed off the side of Highway 26.

It happened about 1 1/2 miles west of Welches Road on Highway 26, which remains closed as the company is off-loading the remaining gasoline into another tanker trailer and ODOT has a detour in place.

Turner Man Dies in Single Vehicle Crash

Investigators believe the driver may have experienced some type of medical problem which may have contributed to the motor vehicle crash.

(TURNER, Ore.) - Marion County Sheriff's Deputies and Turner Fire District Officials responded to a single motor vehicle crash Saturday at 2:06 PM, in the 4900 Block of Hennies Road SE near Turner.

Upon arrival deputies and fire officials found that the driver, 68-year old John Wilson of Turner, the car's single occupant, had died as a result of the crash.

Motorcyclist Killed in Crash with Sport Utility Vehicle

Happy Valley man succumbs to injuries suffered in crash on Highway 6 west of Banks.

(BANKS, Ore.) - Police say a Happy Valley-area man died Friday afternoon from injuries suffered in a collision between his motorcycle and a sport utility vehicle on Highway 6 about seven miles west of Banks.

Hay Truck Fire Closes 99 North of Junction City

Police say the highway will be blocked until at least 4:00 today.

(JUNCTION CITY, Ore.) - Highway 99E was closed at about 11:30 AM according to Oregon Department of Transportation officials, when a truck hauling hay started burning.

Fire crews on scene elected to allow the truck and its contents to burn due to safety concerns. Once the fire is extinguished, a tow truck will remove the remains of the truck and trailer. A detour routing traffic around the scene is in place.

Police Believe Man Drowned While Trying to Rescue Another Person

Active search continues for a possible drowning victim on the Little North Fork River.

(LYONS, Ore.) - Marion County deputies and Stayton Fire District crews responded to the Salmon Falls park located on the Little North Fork River in Lyons, Oregon, on a report of a possible drowning victim. Deputies and fire officials arrived on the scene and began a visual search of the river.

Commander Jason Myers with the Marion County Sheriff's Office, says deputies and fire officials arrived on the scene around 4:45 PM and began a visual search of the river.