OREGON, Ohio — Seasonal allergy sufferers need no reminder that northwest Ohio is currently at the height of cottonwood season. It's hard to miss the trees' seeds as they sprinkle over the city, turning Toledo into a snow globe with its fluff.
But aside from the headaches this pollen causes, both literal and figurative, there may be a more serious risk to leaving piles of cottonwood around your property: unexpected fires.
It's something the Oregon Fire and Rescue Department is warning residents about after its crews responded to multiple incidents involving outdoor fires over the last two weeks.
"Last week we had some explosive cottonwood fires. I know that sounds a little odd," Assistant Fire Chief Mark Mullins said. "It started in a driveway, but when the cottonwood caught on fire, it lifted off and crossed three different yards, catching a house on fire."
While cottonwood itself does not spontaneously combust, the streak of dry weather creates the perfect conditions for outdoor fires to start. The cottonwood can act as an accelerant, according to Mullins.
"When it's dry like this, it's always a hindrance," Mullins said. "It seems like this year, with the cottonwood as high as it is, it's piling up in yards and on houses."
As of Wednesday, the Toledo area is just one day short of tying a 35-year record for the driest stretch of springtime days, according to WTOL 11 meteorologists. The current record is 19 days.
"It's very unusual," Mullins said. "We are asking people to police their yards. Dampen piles with a garden hose so it does not become airborne."
In Toledo, firefighters have seen similar issues.
The cause of a large outdoor fire in Point Place last Saturday was determined to be cottonwood ignited by discarded smoking material, according to Pvt. Sterling Rahe with Toledo Fire and Rescue.
A fire at an apartment complex on Brooke Park in west Toledo on Tuesday was also the result of smoking material being discarded improperly, Pvt. Rahe said.
"The fire went up the side of the building and got in the attic," Rahe said. "Several families were affected and displaced."
Mullins believes the cottonwood is the worst he's ever seen this year and asks residents to practice normal safe fire routines.
"If you have a fire in your yard make sure you put it out with lots of water," he said. "And make sure you go back to check that it is completely out."
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