An escaped burn pile destroyed a shed in Gales Creek over Memorial Day weekend.

Forest Grove Fire & Rescue crews responded around 3:40 p.m. Saturday, May 24, to a reported barn fire on Northwest Soda Springs Road, the fire department said in a release.

Firefighters arrived to find a 400-square-foot shed fully engulfed and nearly collapsed — quickly working to prevent the flames from spreading to a nearby grass field and extinguishing what remained of the scorched structure.

According to investigators, the property owner had been burning a pile about 20 feet from the shed when shifting winds carried embers that sparked the blaze.

“Escaped burn piles cause dozens of fires in our region every year,” Forest Grove Fire & Rescue said in a statement.

Authorities remind residents to never leave a burn pile unattended, to keep proper tools like a hose and shovel nearby, to clear a ring of bare dirt around the burn site, and to ensure the fire is completely out — with no warm embers remaining — before walking away.

The Banks Fire District assisted in the response.