Near the southern coast of Oregon, authorities are attempting to put out a fire that is raging in one of the tallest trees in the world.
In Coos County in the Oregon Coast Range, the Doerner Fir, a coastal Douglas Fir tree that is over 325 feet (99 meters) tall and thought to be over 450 years old, has been on fire since Saturday. According to Megan Harper, a spokesman for the federal Bureau of Land Management, an infrared drone flyover on Tuesday found heat inside a hollow in the tree trunk that was about 280 feet high, but it did not identify any active flames or smoke at the top of the tree.
With NBC 7, you can watch San Diego News for free, anywhere, at any time.
It has been difficult to figure out how to get to the tree from the side in order to fill the cavity with water, Harper added. A number of solutions have been proposed, such as constructing scaffolding, scaling nearby trees for improved placement, or allowing it to smolder and keeping an eye out to see whether it rekindles.
She said that crews were still on the scene Tuesday and that a helicopter was ready in case more water drops were required.
Truck full of 40,000 pounds of steaks burns on side of Missouri highway
Explosion rocks cargo ship carrying coal in Baltimore; no injuries reported
Helicopter bucket drops, according to the Coos Forest Protective Association, had decreased fire activity close to the tree’s summit on Monday. In order to stop the fire from spreading further, containment lines were also built at the tree’s base, where sprinklers were positioned.
According to Harper, the fire might affect the tree’s position in the world’s height rankings.
She stated, “We’ve lost about 50 feet of it, just from fire and pieces falling out,” adding that the top burning was the reason for the loss of the 50 feet (15 meters). It’s still a great tree, but I’m not sure where it will stand in the future.
Investigations are ongoing to ascertain the cause of the fire. Investigators are examining lightning data to determine whether there have been any recent hits in the area, as it is the only tree burning in the nearby region, Harper said.
Harper said the tree is not now in danger of completely burning down.
“That’s not a danger right now,” she replied. It would take a long time for it to burn through the entire tree because of its size and mass.
According to Harper, the firefighters working on the fire are doing everything they can to save the historic tree.
Regarding the tree, she added, “I think people really love it.” We don’t want to lose it since it has a lot of history.
