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Portland’s Forest Park fire sparked by discarded cigarette, officials say
By Stephen Sorace
Published July 26, 2022
A fire broke out in Portland’s Forest Park on Sunday after someone tossed a discarded cigarette into the wooded area, officials said.
Firefighters responded and extinguished the fire shortly after a passerby called 911, Portland Fire and Rescue said.
"We’re all very lucky that this was in the middle of the afternoon, when someone was walking nearby and called 9-1-1, and not in the middle of the night, when the fire may have spread rapidly," the department said.
The fire comes as the Pacific Northwest region, which rarely sees such scorching weather, is facing a week-long heat wave and other parts of the West coast experience tinder-dry conditions and raging wildfires.
YOSEMITE CREWS HAVE BEEN MAKING PROGRESS AGAINST FOREST FIRE IN CALIFORNIA
Officials said it was "very lucky" that a passerby immediately called 911 after spotting the fire at Forest Park in Portland, Oregon. (Portland Fire and Rescue )
Forecasters issued an excessive heat warning for parts of Oregon and Washington state, with temperatures potentially hitting the 90s in Seattle and 110 F in eastern parts of Oregon and Washington.
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Meanwhile, firefighters in California are battling the state’s largest wildfire of the year that forced evacuations for thousands of people and destroyed 41 homes and other buildings near Yosemite National Park.
https://www.foxnews.com/us/portlands-forest-park-fire-sparked-discarded-cigarette-officials-say