BENTON COUNTY, Wash. – Benton County Fire Crews have suspected that a fish was to blame for a 500 acre fire that was started near Paterson, Washington on July 30.
A charred fish was found near the substation where the fire started, and the Benton PUD even has pictures of, what they suspect to be, the bird who dropped the fish over the substation.
This isn’t this first time that a fish has been found away from a body of water, either. There have been multiple cases of fish being found on utility poles in and around urban areas.
Trevor Hutton, the Region Three Fish Program Manager with the Department of Fish and Wildlife, says that there’s a very reasonable explanation to it.
“They’re going to be looking for somewhere high to perch. And a lot of areas around the Columbia don’t have very many options, so they might choose a power line,” says Hutton.
With a lack of tall trees and foliage amongst the Columbia River, birds take the fish to tall utility poles in the city. There, they eat the fish and sometimes, can leave it dangling above the city streets.
According to The Department of Fish and Wildlife, Osprey most commonly carry fish away from the water to perch elsewhere and eat. However, other species, like Kingfisher or Eagles, have been known to carry fish away to perch elsewhere.
Hutton says that while this is known to happen, falling fish causing power outages or fires is extremely uncommon. This Paterson fire is the first in the region that he’s heard of a fish directly resulting in a wildfire.