This morning, Saturday, December 2, 2023, the Hamlet Volunteer Fire Department was called to a tree on Hwy 26, blocking all lanes (at mile marker 10, west of the intersection with Hwy 53) . Upon our arrival, we encountered a (understatement!) large spruce tree blocking all lanes at mile 10. This was the largest tree Hamlet has ever removed from the road; this includes all the trees we worked on during the windstorm of 2007. One firefighter brought his own personal saw with a 36-inch bar, and that was insufficient to cut the tree completely; leaving about 2′ of wood in the center even after cutting the entire diameter. It measured almost 8′ in diameter on the north side of the freeway, and over 4′ on the south side.
(PHOTOS BY HAMLET VFD)
Hamlet firefighters cut down the entire tree and ODOT used a plow truck to remove the limbs from the roadway. Finally, a larger saw was brought in and the tree was cut into smaller lengths that could be rolled up on the ODOT backhoe. All lanes were closed for approximately 5 hours. Once a section of the tree was removed, Hamlet Fire personnel flagged off one-way traffic to free up ODOT personnel to continue tree removal.
At this time (approximately 2pm on Saturday 2nd December) all lanes are open but the road surface was damaged by the fallen tree so please use caution when driving on the area
Winds and rain are expected to increase this afternoon and tomorrow, with flash flood and wind warnings. Be prepared for potentially dangerous driving conditions. Always have an emergency kit with you; DO NOT drive on flooded roads. Check the state of the road at www.tripcheck.com Get informed before you leave.
