Lee Falls Fire reminiscent of 2020 Powerline Fire, prompts animal evacuation posse into action

The quickly spreading Lee Falls Fire in southwest Washington County prompted evacuations, and brought back memories, of all kinds Thursday, Aug. 8.

A brush fire that quickly spread to over 200 acres near Cherry Grove and Henry Hagg Lake, as of 11 p.m. Thursday, meant that hundreds of people were not able to return to their homes after work, leaving up in the air what would come of the livestock on the rural properties.

Enter the Washington County Sheriff's Posse, whose goal it was to wrangle and attempt to save farm animals from the fast-spreading fire. Diane Carlson was among those reentering the Level 3 evacuation area in those efforts Thursday evening.

This is not Carlson’s first rodeo running to Gaston — the volunteer also transported animals to the fairground stables in 2020 when a brush fire alarmed a Level 3 evacuation between Cherry Grove and Hagg Lake .

“It was a brand new evacuation that we were doing, so we kind of flew by the seat of our pants and learned. And we had every kind of animal out here; the fairground was full.”

The 2020 Powerline Fire prompted Level 3 evacuation orders in the community of Cherry Grove and along Southwest Patton Valley Road to Cherry Grove, Southwest Lee Road and Southwest Cascara Road near Henry Hagg Lake. This time around, three years and 11 months later, includes evacuations of Cherry Grove and areas West of Lee Road and south of Southwest Sain Creek Road.

According to Carlson, the volunteers don’t have any idea what they will be dealing with, both in terms of the animals they are transporting and the conditions they are driving their trailers into.

“We have no background on a lot of these animals — we don't know if they're healthy, if they're not healthy, if they've ever been in a trailer,” she said. “They need water buckets; they need hay; they need grain. Some of them need vet care to transport them to the stables.”

In concert with the fire personnel and other emergency responders, the volunteer posse is escorted behind the evacuation lines to attempt to rescue the livestock, just like in 2020.

“We just go out there and stage and then they take us up into the hills. I went to the same road that I went to the last time I went up there. It's like, I'm having flashbacks. I've been up here,” Carlson said.

It took five days before residents of Cherry Grove and nearby areas were allowed to return to their homes during the Powerline Fire. That fire burned about 125 acres.

Now, the growing 200-acre, uncontained blaze poses growing concern for livestock and residents, with flames overtaking the area and heavy smoke making it difficult to breathe. Carlson had just rushed two horses to the fairground stables and was called back to save more.

“The fire has grown so fast up there. It was clear when I got there. And now there's just ash everywhere,” Carlson said. “It's getting kind of scary because we have to wear KN95 masks because it’s so bad up there.”