(Originally published at 6:18 a.m. PDT July 8, 2018)
After burning 31 homes and killing one civilian in Hornbrook California, the Klamathon Fire has spread almost a mile across the state line into Oregon. Jefferson Public Radio is reporting that 10 people are missing in Siskiyou County, but the agencies have not provided any details.
Firefighter Brandon Feller suffered severe burns when his engine was burned over. He is being treated at the UC Davis burn center and they expect a full recovery. A GoFundMe account has been created for Mr. Feller.
Evacuation orders have been issued for the communities of Hornbrook, Hilt, Colestin and Irongate Reservoir. Some locations in Oregon’s Jackson County have also been evacuated.
A wedding had to start early and was cut short when evacuation orders were issued.
My niece about to get married 1 hour early in impromptu shortened ceremony conducted by my husband (without most of the guests) as the #klamathonfire raced down the hill and we were given mandatory evacuation orders. Everyone is safe; we don’t know about the property. pic.twitter.com/Gy12hbNgtM
— Denise Van Patten (@DeeVP) July 8, 2018
Most of the fire is burning on private land but portions of the Klamath National Forest are also affected.
#Klamathon #KlamathonFire
Photo credit: Patrick Titus
Copco Road near Iron Gate 5PM today pic.twitter.com/faM5jttVn0— Nancy Hood (@sassybellsqueak) July 8, 2018
CAL FIRE reported Saturday that the fire has burned 22,000 acres, but our very unofficial analysis of a Saturday night mapping flight found that it has spread to an estimated 32,000 acres.
Saturday evening the 747 Supertanker made its first retardant drop of the year on the Klamathon Fire after being activated on a Call When Needed contract with CAL FIRE. From the flight tracking, it appeared that it dropped on the far north end of the fire in Oregon, and then returned to Sacramento McClellan Airport.
WE’RE ALL THE PLANES, TO PROTECT SOUTHERN OREGON NOW JULY 8 2018 ??
If you are asking where are the air tankers, this year the large air tankers on exclusive use contract were cut by one-third. Anyone with an opinion about this should contact their Senators and Congressmen who control the budget appropriations for aerial firefighting.
At the link provided, type in Brandon Feller, or https://www.gofundme.com/brandon-feller-recovery-fund.
Thanks Greg. I just cleaned up the link in the article.
NOW the GoFundMe page states they’re “no longer accepting donations”.
Well, at least they achieved their goal; thanks a bunch, Bill!