» Brush fire briefly neared homes

Friday, July 25, 2008 | No comments posted. A fire that was reported at about 1:30 p.m. July 15 burned a half-acre of gorse, pine trees and brush on Trap Gun Lane off Morrison Road, coming close to, but not threatening, two homes in the area before it was contained.

The Bandon Rural Fire Department and Coos Forest Protective Association sent a total of seven engines and a bulldozer to the scene and had the blaze contained by 2:30. Tom Fields of the Douglas Forest Protective Association said that no structures were threatened. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Loren and Hillary Pillion, who live in a house on Trap Gun Lane, said they were not at home when they saw fire trucks headed out state Highway 42S. When they returned home a short time later, they saw the charred acres within yards of their home, as well as to a neighbor’s house.

“It looked like it came pretty close to our house, but we were lucky,” Hillary Pillion said, adding that she was thankful the fire department and Coos Protective Service responded so quickly to contain the fire.  

Fields said that citizens should be cautious with any fires this time of year.

“We’d like to remind folks of the fire restrictions that are currently in place and that a burn permit is required for any backyard burning,” he said. Details of the Regulated Use Closure are available on the Internet at http://egov.oregon.gov/ODF/FIRE/Closures/RU17.pdf.