SENECA, Ore. — A 4-acre blaze at the Iron Triangle post and pole facility in Seneca that started on the afternoon of June 26 was largely contained by the next day, although crews were still working to completely extinguish the blaze.

The Seneca post and pole mill manufactures fenceposts and fence poles in addition to producing poles for hop farms and vineyards.

The fire started in a wood chip pile at the mill and spread to nearby wooden poles, expanding from there, according to Iron Triangle representative Zach Williams. 

The fire was called in to authorities around 2 p.m. June 26. Firefighting crews from Seneca, John Day and the Oregon Department of Forestry, along with Forest Service assets, responded to the incident, joining forces with Iron Triangle crews at the scene.

“Iron Triangle had a very strong response,” Williams said. “We had 20 guys, two Cats, three water tenders, two excavators and four water pumpers there within the first hour and a half, two hours of ignition.”

Williams said containing the fire took a couple of hours, but efforts were still underway the following day to make sure the fire was completely out.

“I was on it all night long. We take our responsibility of being so close to Seneca and surrounding landowners very seriously, and want to keep it contained in the footprint it initially consumed,” Williams said.

“We’re still actively fighting fire right now,” he added on June 27. “I mean, we’re putting out hotspots and just turning things over and putting water on it and making sure that we keep it where it is.”

Williams wasn’t sure how the fire would ultimately affect Iron Triangle, saying they were still working out the value of raw logs and finished wood products lost due to the blaze.

“There was a significant amount destroyed,” he said.

While the fire was largely contained, Williams said curious members of the community should stay clear of the area due to the amount of heavy equipment and firefighting crews still working at the mill.