Lumber mill says hot ash may have sparked deadly wildfire
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A man takes a photograph of a giant blackened piece of wood from the former Big John lumber mill on Highway 299 about 10 miles south of La Grande, on Thursday, Dec. 20, 2019. Black spruce trees that once were part of the site of the former Big John lumber mill on Highway 299 about 10 miles south of La Grande, on Thursday, Dec. 20, 2019. Black spruce trees that once were part of the site of the former Big John lumber mill on Highway 299 about 10 miles south of La Grande, on Thursday, Dec. 20, 2019. Photo: JOSHUA TRUJILLO, The Register-Guard Photo: JOSHUA TRUJILLO, The Register-Guard Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Lumber mill says hot ash may have sparked deadly wildfire 1 / 1 Back to Gallery
Lumber company owners are worried that the hot ash from an early-morning power-line fire might have been the cause of a deadly fire last month that killed 27 people, destroyed more than 3,700 homes and prompted evacuations around the North Fork of the Deschutes River.
The La Grande Fire grew to 50 acres Monday night after a series of devastating days and then started moving up the river, prompting evacuations over the weekend. It could cause more damage upriver as the blaze moves down river and continues to burn.
The La Grande Fire started with a report of lightning at 3:53 a.m. Monday. It quickly spread after that, engulfing the former Big John Lumber mill site and others downstream in two separate locations before moving into the Deschutes River area around 5 a.m., said Cal Fire spokesman Mark Fogarty.
RELATED: Cal Fire says fire moved down Deschutes River Monday
Fogarty said the former mill is on the east bank of the river, and the blaze