Off duty firefighter dies on Archie Creek Fire in Oregon

September 23, 2020 | 8:22 p.m. PDT A heavy equipment operator passed away on the Archie Creek Fire in Western Oregon. The Incident Management Team announced September 23 the death of Walter (Wally) Samuel Elsbury, Jr., who was found unresponsive in his vehicle at a staging area September 18, 2020 before he began his shift. … Continue reading “Off duty firefighter dies on Archie Creek Fire in Oregon”

Man charged with setting fire in Southern Oregon that burned 15 properties

A grand jury has indicted a 41-year old man for setting a fire in Phoenix, Oregon on September 8, the day the Almeda Drive Fire started near Ashland. Michael Jarrod Bakkela was arraigned on 2 counts of Arson in the First Degree, 15 counts of Criminal Mischief in the First Degree, 14 counts of Recklessly … Continue reading “Man charged with setting fire in Southern Oregon that burned 15 properties”

Southwest Oregon and Northwest California — a hotbed of fire activity for at least 20 years

The Northwest California/Southwest Oregon area has kept firefighters very busy at times during the last 20 years, as you can see on the map above. A new fire is rapidly putting itself into that history. The Slater Fire reported September 8 grew to 89,000 acres by September 9 and has now spread to 150,000 acres. … Continue reading “Southwest Oregon and Northwest California — a hotbed of fire activity for at least 20 years”

California and Oregon fires — lives lost and structures burned

Lives lost The tally of the number of lives lost in the California and Oregon blazes will undoubtedly climb as teams search through the footprints of residences. It took weeks in 2018 to document every fatality at the Camp Fire at Paradise, California. Here are the numbers collected so far by the San Francisco Chronicle: … Continue reading “California and Oregon fires — lives lost and structures burned”

Now that the extreme weather has moderated, firefighters beginning to make progress on fires in northwest Oregon

Lionshead Fire Of the three very large fires south of Portland, Oregon the 138,718-acre Lionshead has been the most active in the last 24 hours, with most of the growth occurring on the northeast and southeast sides. Crews continue to secure and protect property and conduct damage assessments as fire activity, smoke, and other hazards … Continue reading “Now that the extreme weather has moderated, firefighters beginning to make progress on fires in northwest Oregon”