Latest news with #CoastRange
Yahoo
16 hours ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
One of the world's tallest trees is burning. Why can't firefighters put it out?
When flames were spotted within one of the world's tallest trees, firefighters flooded the area. Drones, aircraft and hand crews worked for days to tame the fire, successfully stopping it from spreading across the dense forest that surrounds the famous Doerner Fir tree in Oregon's Coast Range mountains. But the towering Coast Douglas-fir has remained stubbornly alight. And firefighters — at least at the moment — seem stumped. 'There's still this spot where water is just not quite reaching yet," said Megan Harper, a spokesperson for the Bureau of Land Management in Oregon. 'Partway down the tree there's an area that's burning a cavity into the side. ... That is the area that is now still hot." The bizarre single-tree fire has now become an almost weeklong firefight in Coos County, Ore., as the hot spot continues to burn approximately 280 feet up on the side of the arboreal giant. 'We have different conversations [going on] in the background with arborist experts, who may be able to help get the rest of the fire out," Harper said. 'How do you get water into a hot spot from the side?" Read more: Wildfire burns Joshua trees in area considered a 'last refuge' for the species She said crews are stationed around the tree and will remain so until the fire is out. The fire initially broke out Saturday around 2 p.m. 'We've been able to use helicopters with buckets ... that's been very successful getting the top of the tree," she said. The still-smoking side cavity has proven more difficult. Harper said the blaze's initial charge felled an estimated 50-foot chunk from the top of the tree, which consistently had ranked among the world's tallest. Before the fire, it was often listed as the second-tallest tree in the U.S., trailing only Hyperion, a gargantuan 380-foot Coast redwood located in Redwood National and State Parks. Read more: As wildfires decimate the giant sequoia, California faces unprecedented loss 'Prefire [Doerner] was 325 feet tall and about 11.5 feet in diameter, so it's a large, tall tree," Harper said. 'We're not sure exactly how much height is lost.' Depending what happens in the next few days, 'more height could be lost,' she said. Harper said the cause of the fire remains under investigation. Initially, officials thought lightning was a likely culprit, but weather data have ruled that out, Harper said. 'I think everyone would be super disheartened to learn that maybe it would be human-caused," Harper said, confirming that there is a remote trail that provides hikers access to the tree. But she said their team is not making any assumptions while the investigation continues. 'Fire in the Oregon Coast Range is actually pretty rare … so the fact that it even happened and then it happened to be this tree — it was a very unique situation," Harper said. BLM land around the Doerner Fir fire in Coquille, Ore., remains closed while firefighting continues. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
a day ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Oregon crews race to douse fire in one of the world's tallest trees
Firefighters in Oregon are racing to save the Doerner Fir - one of the world's tallest and oldest trees - from a fire that has been burning since Saturday. The giant fir, more than 325ft (99m) tall and estimated to be over 450 years old, has already lost about 50ft to the blaze, which may jeopardise its standing in global height rankings, officials say. With more hot and dry weather forecast along Oregon's Coast Range, firefighters are struggling to put the fire out. Officials have discussed some unconventional ways to put out the blaze including building scaffolding to reach and suppress flames higher up the tree. The cause of the blaze remains unknown, though lightening has been ruled out. On Tuesday, an infrared drone found no active flames or smoke at the top of the tree, but it detected heat inside a cavity in the trunk some 280 ft high, federal Bureau of Land Management spokesperson Megan Harper told the BBC. Ms Harper told ABC News that the fire may impact the tree's standing in global height rankings. "We've lost about 50 ft of it, just from fire and pieces falling out," she said, noting that the 50 ft were lost through the top burning. "So I don't know where it'll stand after this, but it's still a magnificent tree." She also said there was not a risk of the tree fully burning down. "The tree is so big, it's got so much mass that it would take a while for it to burn all the way through the tree," she said. The Coos Forest Protective Association has said helicopter bucket drops have reduced fire activity near the top, while sprinklers and containment lines have been set up around the base. A helicopter remains on standby. Solve the daily Crossword
BBC News
a day ago
- Climate
- BBC News
Oregon firefighters race to save one of the world's tallest trees
Firefighters in Oregon are racing to save the Doerner Fir - one of the world's tallest and oldest tress - from a fire that has been burning since giant fir, more than 325ft (99m) tall and estimated to be over 450 years old, has already lost about 50ft to the blaze, which may jeopardise its standing in global height rankings, officials more hot and dry weather forecast along Oregon's Coast Range, firefighters are struggling to put the fire out. Officials have discussed some unconventional ways to put out the blaze including building scaffolding to reach and suppress flames higher up the tree. The cause of the blaze remains unknown, though lightening has been ruled Tuesday, an infrared drone found no active flames or smoke at the top of the tree, but it detected heat inside a cavity in the trunk some 280 ft high, federal Bureau of Land Management spokesperson Megan Harper told the Harper told ABC News that the fire may impact the tree's standing in global height rankings. "We've lost about 50 ft of it, just from fire and pieces falling out," she said, noting that the 50 ft were lost through the top burning. "So I don't know where it'll stand after this, but it's still a magnificent tree."She also said there was not a risk of the tree fully burning down. "The tree is so big, it's got so much mass that it would take a while for it to burn all the way through the tree," she Coos Forest Protective Association has said helicopter bucket drops have reduced fire activity near the top, while sprinklers and containment lines have been set up around the base. A helicopter remains on standby.
The Independent
2 days ago
- Climate
- The Independent
Race to save one of the world's tallest trees following fire
Authorities in Oregon are grappling with a persistent fire burning within one of the world's tallest and oldest trees, posing a unique challenge for firefighters near the state's southern coast. The Doerner Fir, a coastal Douglas Fir estimated to be over 450 years old and towering over 99 metres (325 feet), has been alight since Saturday in Coos County, located within Oregon's Coast Range. Megan Harper, a spokesperson for the federal Bureau of Land Management, stated that an infrared drone flight on Tuesday revealed no active flames or smoke at the tree's summit, but detected heat within a cavity some 280 feet high. The difficulty lies in accessing this high-altitude cavity to douse it with water, Harper explained. Discussions have included unconventional methods such as constructing scaffolding or ascending neighbouring trees for better access, or even allowing the fire to smoulder under close observation. Crews remained onsite on Tuesday, with a helicopter on standby for potential water drops. This follows successful helicopter bucket drops on Monday by the Coos Forest Protective Association, which had already reduced fire activity near the tree's crown. It added that sprinklers were placed at the base of the tree, where containment lines were also constructed to prevent further fire spread. The fire may impact the tree's standing in global height rankings, Harper said. 'We've lost about 50 feet of it, just from fire and pieces falling out," she said, noting that the 50 feet (15 meters) were lost through the top burning. 'So I don't know where it'll stand after this, but it's still a magnificent tree.' The cause of the fire has not been determined and is under investigation. It is the only tree on fire in the immediate vicinity, and investigators are looking at lightning data to see if there were any recent strikes in the area, Harper said. For now, the tree is not at risk of fully burning down, according to Harper. 'Right now, that is not a danger,' she said. 'The tree is so big, it's got so much mass that it would take a while for it to burn all the way through the tree." Meanwhile, those involved in the firefighting efforts want to do everything possible to save the historic tree, Harper said. 'I think people really love it,' she said of the tree. 'There's a lot of history there, and so we don't want to lose it."
The Independent
2 days ago
- General
- The Independent
A fire is burning one of the world's tallest trees near the Oregon coast
Authorities in Oregon are trying to extinguish a fire that is burning in one of the world's tallest trees near the state's southern coast. The Doerner Fir, a coastal Douglas Fir tree over 325 feet (99 meters) tall and estimated to be over 450 years old, has been burning since Saturday in Coos County in Oregon's Coast Range. An infrared drone flight on Tuesday showed no active flames or smoke at the top of the tree, but it detected heat within a cavity in the tree trunk some 280 feet high, federal Bureau of Land Management spokesperson Megan Harper said. Figuring out how to approach the tree from the side to douse the cavity with water has been a challenge, Harper said. Various options have been discussed, including building scaffolding or climbing adjacent trees for better positioning, or letting it smolder and monitoring to see if it reignites. Crews remained onsite Tuesday and a helicopter was on standby in case of needed water drops, she added. The Coos Forest Protective Association said Monday that helicopter bucket drops had reduced fire activity near the top of the tree. It added that sprinklers were placed at the base of the tree, where containment lines were also constructed to prevent further fire spread. The fire may impact the tree's standing in global height rankings, Harper said. 'We've lost about 50 feet of it, just from fire and pieces falling out," she said, noting that the 50 feet (15 meters) were lost through the top burning. 'So I don't know where it'll stand after this, but it's still a magnificent tree.' The cause of the fire has not been determined and is under investigation. It is the only tree on fire in the immediate vicinity, and investigators are looking at lightning data to see if there were any recent strikes in the area, Harper said. For now, the tree is not at risk of fully burning down, according to Harper. 'Right now, that is not a danger,' she said. 'The tree is so big, it's got so much mass that it would take a while for it to burn all the way through the tree." Meanwhile, those involved in the firefighting efforts want to do everything possible to save the historic tree, Harper said. 'I think people really love it,' she said of the tree. 'There's a lot of history there, and so we don't want to lose it."
