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@LebanonFD
Lebanon, Ore.
The Lebanon Fire District has seen an unusually high occurrence of fires in our area, and has responded to three fires in our District and one in Sweet Home in fewer than 48 hours.
The first two fires, both in Lebanon, occurred on Sunday, March 26. Crews battled a blaze in a pole barn on a property that provided difficult access, as it was full of RVs, cars, and other obstacles. In addition to being one of the four fires in two days, this was also the second fire at this property in less than a month. Later on Sunday, the same crews were dispatched to a fully-engulfed RV in a rural part of our District. Even without access to the city hydrant system, this fire was knocked down within 20 minutes of arrival.
On Monday evening, our neighbors to the east in Sweet Home were busy with their own structure fire. As part of our mutual aid agreements, LFD sent Aerial Truck 34 (T34) to assist, as well as a fully-staffed ambulance to cover any EMS calls for service during the fire. While those six duty crew members were assisting Sweet Home, several of our volunteers and off-duty staff came in to cover Lebanon.
The final fire came in on Tuesday morning, approximately 20 minutes before the 7:00 AM shift change, which meant crews that battled the previous night’s fire were dispatched again, much like Sunday’s fires. First-arriving units found a residential home in the 300 block of Maple Street showing flames and smoke from both the home and attached garage. Firefighting efforts were challenged by the older construction of the home as well as a large volume of personal contents in and around the structure. Firefighters were able to bring the blaze under control, but 5th street was closed to local access for several hours. Because of the shift change timing, LFD was able to respond with over 25 personnel between A shift and B shift, Commanding Officers, and volunteers. One resident was evaluated for a minor burn injury on scene that did not require medical transport, and no firefighters were injured.
Thank you to PP&L for securing electrical, Albany Fire Department for sending one engine and one medic to cover the district, and the City of Lebanon for providing traffic control. The cause of this fire also remains under investigation.
Though no causes for any of the fires have been determined yet, the Lebanon Fire District would like to remind residents to be cautious when using alternative home-heating methods, such as space heaters, and the importance of regularly testing and maintaining your smoke alarms. If you need assistance with smoke alarms, or wish to schedule a free home safety evaluation, please call our Fire & Life Safety office at (541) 451-1901.