Mail Tribune News - Crews mop up 100-acre forest fire, cause unknown

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Crews mop up 100-acre forest fire, cause unknown GREENSPRINGS -- Oregon Department of Forestry officials were puzzling Sunday over the cause of an early-season forest fire that kicked crews into action and charred about 100 acres 10 miles east of the Greensprings Inn. Either a roadside campfire or a lightning strike could be the cause of the mid-afternoon fire, which crews expected to contain by 6 this morning. The blaze consumed mostly second-growth timber and slash debris. It proved the forest has had time to dry out after heavy winter rains, said Dan Thorpe, unit forester for the ODF. "As wet as this winter was, the last three months have been relatively dry," he said. "It sounds like a summer fire, doesn't it?" It took a 38-person fire crew equipped with four engines, three bulldozers and a helicopter several hours to manage the fire. Some 60 fire fighters are expected to mop up the scene today. Officials planned to investigate the cause further. Mail Tribune Copyright �  The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA