Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue crews have spent several hours today working to extinguish a large pile of wood waste and yard debris that ignited overnight in the 21000 block of Southwest Dahlke Lane in Sherwood.
Just after 2:30 a.m., a neighbor called 911 to report the fire. Crews arrived to find the fire spreading from the large pile of debris south under powerlines into the grass of an adjacent property. Due to difficult access to the property along gravel roads and the need for additional resources, the fire was upgraded to a second alarm.
Water tenders were used to shuttle water to the Tigard Sand and Gravel property as there were no water hydrants in the area. Crews were able to contain the fire to the large pile of debris and prevent it from spreading any further. Damage was contained to two acres. No structures were damaged, and no injuries were reported.
Firefighters continued working on scene through the morning with the property owner to extinguish the fire in the large pile of wood debris. The property owner is using two excavators on site to break up the pile and allow firefighters to extinguish hot spots.
A TVF&R fire investigator responded to the scene and determined the fire was accidental and most likely caused by spontaneous combustion in the large pile of mulch.
Firefighters will remain on scene until the fire is completely out.
