Lightning Struck Parched Ground in Oregon. Guess What Happened Next?

Lightning struck Oregon 1,830 times in two days.

Bootleg Fire Along the edge of the Bootleg Fire. (Justin Yau)
By Shannon Gormley

Oregon’s historically bad drought has contributed to a historically bad fire season. So when thunderstorms rolled in across the state’s abnormally dry landscape last weekend, new fires seemed inevitable. After all, Southern Oregon’s Bootleg Fire, the biggest in the country, was started by lightning. Here’s what’s now happening on the ground, by the numbers.

28: Active large fires burning in Oregon, according to the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center.

1,830: The number of lightning strikes in Oregon between Aug. 2 and 3.

47: Confirmed lightning-caused fires ignited in Oregon from July 31-Aug. 2.

71: Percentage of the state in extreme or exceptional drought, according to U.S. Drought Monitor. Ninety-three percent is experiencing severe drought, and all of Oregon is at some level of drought.

413,762: Acreage of the Bootleg Fire, the largest in the country and the third-largest in Oregon’s recorded history.

17: Days out of the 29 since it started that the Bootleg Fire has been under a red flag warning for extreme fire weather, due to abnormally dry fuels.

50: Consecutive days that Portland has gone without rain.

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