MEDFORD, Ore. – Wednesday morning was a busy one for Medford firefighters. Multiple fires sparked on southbound I-5, just south of exit 27. Battalion Chief Kip Gray said “it was most likely caused by sparks by a vehicle as they traveled.”
Gray said in the five minutes it took firefighters to get to the three separate fires, a 1/4 acre of land had burned. While they say the fires stayed relatively small, firefighters warn they can quickly get out of hand. Spot fires are common according to Division Chief Austin Prince with Rural Metro Fire. He says there are many different reasons they are so common, but one of the most common, “would be a malfunctioning catalytic converter.”
Mechanics say cars from the 1970s on have a catalytic converter. It is a device to create cleaner emmissions. “Inside the catalytic converter, it can break down over time. As it starts to break apart, while the vehicle is driving down the road, parts of the catalytic converter can actually come out through the exhaust pipe and be shot off onto the side of the road,” said Prince.
Every year, he says the breakdown of catalytic converters cause spot fires, which is one of the causes they’re investigating in the Wednesday fires. Prince warned, “you can be passing through and the fire never really shows itself until you’ve long driven by.”
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