DAYVILLE – A 33-acre grass fire between Mt. Vernon and Dayville was the largest of a dozen lightning-caused blazes from a storm erupting Thursday, Aug. 4.

Rain accompanying the lightning storm aided Mt. Vernon Rural and Oregon Department of Forestry firefighters in putting out the fire on the Widows Creek Ranch.

“The fire was really going, but then came some pretty good rain, or the fire would’ve been much larger,” said ODF spokesman Chris Cook.

While at the fire, workers noticed another blaze on the other side of the river. Firefighters moved over to put out a 1-1/2-acre fire, also on private property. The fire north of Wiley Creek and northeast of Dayville burned sagebrush and juniper, said Mt. Vernon Fire Chief Bill Cearns.

There was no rain there to aid firefighters efforts, he noted.

In other locations, the storm dropped .10 to .5 inch of rain, said Cook.

Ten other lightning strikes that touched down Aug. 4 kept U.S. Forest Service firefighters busy. Three were in the Strawberry Mountain Wilderness.

None of the fires late last week burned more than a quarter-acre, said Malheur National Forest spokesman Mike Stearly.

Firefighting crews remained busy last weekend responding to smoke reports, and staffing existing fires. As of Monday morning all but four of the fires have been reported as out, and all three fires in the wilderness were listed as out.

One reported fire in the Coxie Meadows area may have been human-caused and is under investigation. The other fires all appeared to be caused by lightning.

Anyone found guilty of starting a wildfire on national forest land could face a fine, prison, or both.

Forest officials said fuels are average or normal for this time of year. Lower elevation grasses are prime to burn, while at higher elevations, things aren’t as dry yet, said the ODF’s Cook.

  To report a fire, call the John Day Interagency Dispatch at 541-575-1321.