Nearly 1,000 lightning flashes lit up Lane County on Monday, sparking new fires from Eugene into the Cascade Mountains.
The National Weather Service reported 600 cloud-to-cloud strikes and 300 to 400 cloud-to-ground strikes. Of those hitting the ground, 20 to 40 were west of Goshen and south of Eugene.
One of those is suspected of igniting the Spencer Butte fire, which forced firefighters to climb hundreds of feet to reach the smoldering forest. Oregon Department of Forestry crews worked overnight to hold it to about a quarter-acre. They continued mopping up hotspots Tuesday…