Fire on butte near Springfield started by humans
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SPRINGFIELD, Ore.--Investigators say a human caused a small fire atop a butte in the Thurston area on Thursday.
Smoke from the fire was visible across the city as less than two acres of private wildlands burned on the butte.
The Potato Hike #2 fire started early in the morning.
Marvin Vetter, with the Oregon Department of Forestry, said the circumstances surrounding the fire are still being investigated.
"The challenge is right now, it's on a cliff," said Ken Rose, with ODF, said Thursday afternoon. "And we can't get crews underneath it very well. Can't get anybody to the top of it."
He said ground crews were concentrating on building a "hand line" -- digging a into the ground around the fire, creating a mineral soil barrier for the flames.
Meanwhile, a helicopter dropped 300 gallon loads of water onto the flames thorughout the day. | See a Photo Gallery
Rose said the fire should be out by Friday afternoon.
