Firefighters in race to save Oregon’s tallest tree after it ignites

[Desmond Milligan 0]

Oregon firefighters are working to save one of the tallest non-redwood trees in the world after it caught fire last week.

The coastal Douglas fir, believed to be about 450 years old and which stands 325 ft tall, was still burning east of Coquille on Tuesday, according to Megan Harper, public affairs specialist at the Bureau of Land Management. The Coos Forest Protective Association, a non-profit that provides wildland fire protection for several counties in Oregon, had received a call about the fire on Saturday.

Harper said there’s still a spot about 280 ft up the tree that’s “still hot and it’s still showing some smoke”.

“That’s the area of focus right now to see if we can get that that spot cooled down because of the thick bark,” she said.

Related: Wildfire smoke far more dangerous to health than thought, say scientists

The blaze was burning from the top of the tree down into its trunk on Monday, according to an update from the non-profit, and helicopter crews managed to douse flames in the canopy. On Tuesday, crews remained on “observation mode” to see if the helicopter work was successful or not.

“They are holding off on any more helicopter drops today, just to see what the fire does,” Harper said. “There are helicopters available to respond if they do start to see more fire developing.”

Fire officials will not send climbing crews into the Doerner fir, according to the non-profit’s update on Facebook, amid safety concerns.

“Fallout from the treetop makes it unsafe for crews to engage directly under the tree, so firefighters are working to identify additional ways to reach and extinguish the fire,” reads the statement from Monday.

Firefighters have set up a containment line and sprinklers to prevent the flames from spreading near the ground.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation, and investigators with the Bureau of Land Management are on scene.

“Visitors should be aware that the area will be closed to public use at this time due to active fire and firefighting efforts,” the Coos Forest Protective Association said.

Harper said the tree’s height makes it the first target for lightning strikes or anything falling from the sky. She said the tree also has a lot of dried moss and bark built up over the summer amid the heat and lack of rain.

“That material is all flammable,” Harper said. “It’s an older tree, it has a lot of pitch that’s coming out of it, that sticky, sugary substance that has the potential to be pretty flammable.”

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