Woman arrested after car starts fire near Prineville
Published 3:45 pm Sunday, August 4, 2024
- A fire sparked by a vehicle on state Highway 126 on Friday burned about 10 acres.
A Prineville woman was jailed Friday after a car she was driving sparked a fire on state Highway 126 that forced a neighborhood to evacuate and destroyed several outbuildings and RVs.
Rachel Christina Parker, 44, was still being held Sunday in the Crook County Jail on suspicion of reckless endangering, reckless burning and reckless driving.
Prineville police were notified around 6 p.m. Friday that a gold Volvo was speeding on Highway 126 and dragging a tire, which was throwing sparks. A fire then started at Highway 126 and Stillman Road near Powell Butte.
When Crook County Sheriff’s Office deputies arrived, multiple houses were threatened. Deputies, with the help of Oregon State Police troopers, initiated evacuations of nearby homes.
Multiple fire agencies responded and kept the fire to 10 acres in size. Several outbuildings and recreational vehicles were damaged or destroyed, but no one was injured.
Police stopped the vehicle suspected of starting the fire as it neared Prineville, and Parker was arrested.