Over 1,000 lightning strikes shake Oregon, number of forest fires unknown

PORTLAND, Oregon (COIN) — More than 1,100 lightning strikes struck Oregon between Tuesday morning and Wednesday morning, sparking new wildfires across the state.

The Northwest Interagency Coordination Center recorded 1,113 lightning strikes in 24 hours. Although the lightning is believed to have sparked numerous fires, authorities could not confirm how many fires were burning in Oregon as of Wednesday afternoon.

Jessica Neujahr, spokeswoman for the Oregon Department of Forestry, told KOIN 6 News that firefighters are working to battle the unknown number of new fires.

“I cannot yet say how many lightning strikes there have been in the last 24 hours and how many of them have resulted in fires because resources have been tied up in firefighting. But I can say that this lightning strike has started several fires from southern Oregon to central Oregon,” Neujahr said.

According to the Oregon State Emergency Management Agency, “Dashboard for fires and hotspots” the number of wildfires in Oregon rose from 27 to 70 in the last 24 hours. However, the ODEM could not confirm the accuracy of this number.

“With the high number of lightning strikes and current large fires in Oregon, our firefighters are working hard to detect, assess and extinguish these new fires as quickly as possible,” Neujahr said. “Early detection is done through patrols, smoke detector cameras and our multi-purpose aircraft.”

The Oregon Forest Service confirmed that the new fires are putting a strain on resources as firefighters Fight existing fires on an area of ​​almost 40,000 hectares in northern, central, and eastern Oregon. To make matters worse, more lightning is expected across the state Wednesday afternoon and evening. Red flag as a warning remains in effect for Northern Oregon and most of Washington until 5 p.m.

“This lightning event and the other large fires in the state have depleted our resources, so we urge all Oregonians to practice wildfire prevention and not bring fire hazards to the landscape,” Neujahr said. “By reducing the number of human-caused fires we must respond to, we can focus our efforts on detecting and suppressing these lightning-caused fires.”