Sauvie Island grass fire under control after crews respond to damaged powerline

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A fast-moving fire which spread over 87,000 square feet on Sauvie Island prompted a response from multiple agencies late Saturday afternoon.

Just after 4 p.m., firefighters from the Sauvie Island Fire District (SIFD) responded to 31431 Northwest Reeder Road on a report of a grass fire.

On arrival, they reportedly found a fast-moving fire along the road amid blackberry brambles.

The first crew on the scene soon needed backup since they could not keep up with the spread of the blaze.

The fire then managed to jump over the road and ignite woods across the way, officials say.

It took over an hour for crews to contain the fire and then nine more hours to completely control the fire, since PGE had to fell four trees in the process.

There were no injuries reported and no structures were damaged or threatened, officials say.

Authorities add the fire was started by a tree falling into a power line, which ignited the grass and blackberry bushes, then spread quickly due to high winds.