A 1-acre wildfire was extinguished Thursday afternoon south of Salem on Riverside Drive, just north of Ankeny National Wildlife Refuge.
The fire was reported at 2:03 p.m. A resident came into a Polk County fire station after seeing fire and a UPS driver called in to report it as well. Polk County Fire District, Jefferson Fire District, Marion County Sheriff’s Office and the Salem Fire Department responded, according to Polk County Fire deputy chief Neal Olson.
Olson said Polk County Fire initially responded with one engine and a brush unit, and upgraded it to a high-risk grass fire after seeing the smoke.
Olson said the fire was mostly in loose cut grass and blackberries and was not moving quickly.
One pump house was damaged by the fire and a nearby house was unaffected, as were goats and chickens that were in the area, Olson said.
Riverside Drive was closed to drivers.
A red flag warning is in effected for much of western Oregon due to extreme temperatures and east winds . Much of Salem and the Willamette Valley were seeing hazy skies on Thursday afternoon as an air quality advisory remains in place through Friday.