Ash drifted through the air as sirens echoed across Central Oregon after a violent lightning barrage pounded the region, igniting at least 35 wildfires in just a matter of hours.
The powerful thunderstorm unleashed nearly 2,000 lightning strikes by 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, hammering forests, rangeland and trees while overwhelming firefighters with new blazes, according to Central Oregon Fire Information.
While parts of the region saw bursts of heavy rain, the downpours were not widespread enough to stop the wave of lightning-sparked fires.
Fire officials warned that even more blazes are expected to surface in the coming days as lightning-struck trees and vegetation can smolder silently before erupting into flames.
One of the first major incidents broke out about 3 miles northeast of Terrebonne on the north side of the Crooked River east of Smith Rock State Park.
The fire was mapped at 19.4 acres before firefighters stopped its forward spread.
The Dickerson Fire, about 6 miles southwest of Brothers, grew beyond its initial estimates before crews fully contained it.
The biggest threat remains the wind-driven Akawa Butte Fire, which had exploded to 26,144 acres and triggered Level 3 “Go Now” evacuation orders near Sisters.
The newly reported Ten Mile Fire near Madras had also grown to roughly 800 acres as firefighters continue battling flames across the region.
Officials say the danger is far from over.
The storm followed another lightning event last week that produced holdover fires, blazes that can smolder unnoticed for days before suddenly flaring to life.
