A Portland city councilor has offered a mea culpa amid reports that a brush pile he set ablaze during a local burn ban led several city firefighters to show up at his West Portland Park home.
Councilor Mitch Green started a “medium to large” fire in the backyard of his Southwest Portland residence on the evening of July 26, prompting a concerned neighbor to call 911 when they saw the flames, according to public records obtained by Willamette Week.
Six weeks prior, on June 15, city and Multnomah County officials imposed a summer burn ban due to escalating fire risk across the region, a move that both governments had publicized. The city and county also have year-round prohibitions on burning yard debris…