HILLSBORO, Ore. — At around 3:13 p.m. on Sunday, Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue (TVFR) responded to a brush fire on Southwest Laurel Road south of Hillsboro in western Washington County.
A spokesperson for TVFR said the two-acre brush fire "quickly escalated" but crews were able to contain it. The fire was originally estimated to be 80 acres, but fire officials Sunday night said only 30 acres had burned.
Quin Denfeld and her family watched from their home as smoke rose from the field.
“We saw that it was definitely not under control in fact it had grown incredibly in size," Denfeld said.
As they saw the smoke turn darker, the Denfeld's drove down to their hazelnut farm to check the property.
“The northeast corner had caught on fire and the flames were just, I don’t know how high, incredibly high," Denfeld said.
Her husband Sean, a long-time volunteer firefighter, couldn’t sit back and watch. He jumped in to help.
“He went back to our house, got the bulldozer, drove it over and cut a line that thankfully stopped the fire from going any further," Denfeld said. “Very proud, yeah, very proud of him."
Denfeld pulled up a photo on her phone. Sean and two of her boys stand near the dozer and firefighters can be seen in the background.
Fortunately, Denfeld said, only three hazelnut trees burned. It's something the family is proud to protect, as the family says they've farmed in the area for seven generations.
As of Sunday night, firefighters roamed the area to mop up and watch for hot spots.
"Our crews did a wonderful job of protecting the structures," Sam Kheiu, TVFR's Public Information Officer said. "[The fire] didn't get to any homes or affect any lives and no injuries were reported so our crews did an amazing job."
Kheiu said initial reports suggest the fire started when farming equipment sparked some dry grass, but fire officials are still investigating the cause.
Officials asked the public to avoid the areas of Southwest Laurel Road at both Southwest Campbell Road and at Southwest McCormick Hill Road.