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Evacuations take officials by surprise ZACK DEMARS The World
COOS COUNTY — Within hours of the first reports of a fire near North Bank Lane Tuesday, some families in the area were beginning to evacuate. But Gabe Fabrizio, Coos County’s emergency manager, wasn’t expecting to have to evacuate residents so quickly that day. The fire, he said, took county officials by surprise. “We certainly didn’t anticipate this one, with the need for evacu-
ations,” Fabrizio said. Said by witnesses to be sparked by downed powerlines though officially still under investigation, the fire between Bandon and Coquille forced some residents to evacuate from their homes at the instructions of fire officials — and pushed even more people, unsure of the fire’s location, to choose to evacuate themselves. Aside from individual officers knocking on doors and telling residents to leave, information about the fire was scarce through-
out the day Tuesday, and many took to social media for answers. Official details was scattered, spread between Facebook groups and the pages of various cities and fire departments. “There had been a lot of rumors going around,” said John Sweet, a Coos County commissioner. “And that concerns me a little bit.” Still, Sweet says the county is prepared to handle evacuation notifications in the event that more homes are in danger. In that case, the county could declare an
emergency and dedicate resources to an incident command post. “I’m not aware of a situation where someone was in jeopardy because of the fire and was not given warning,” Sweet said. Tuesday’s historic weather conditions, with high winds, high temperatures and low humidity, were a surprise to many across the state. The conditions, fueled by a changing climate, the extreme weather has lit thousands of acres in the West with wildfires, including several approaching major cities.
“You can’t really anticipate something like that,” Coos County’s Fabrizio said. For official information about th e fire, both Fabrizio and Sweet pointed to the Coos Forest Protective Association, the agency that manages the response for forest fires along the South Coast. But with the agency’s public information officer doing operations work for the North Bank Lane Fire crews, many who called the office seeking information about the risk near them Please see Evacuations, Page A8
Evacuees fill South Coast hotels ZACK DEMARS The World
Contributed photo by Candace Kreitlow
A yurt art studio owned by Candace Kreitlow and her husband Pete Bauer burned to the ground Tuesday in the North Bank Lane fire.
Bandon fire burns 350 acres AMY MOSS STRONG The World
BANDON — A fire that on North Bank Lane is considered 30% contained without further spread after burning approximately 350 acres since it erupted Tuesday. Though witnesses have said the fire started from a downed power line due to the unusally high winds Tuesday, the cause is still under investigation by officials. The city of Bandon was not in danger from the fire at any time. No one has been injured in the fire and only one structure burned, a woodworking and artist studio owned by Bandon residents Pete Bauer and Candace Kreitlow. The studio, located insaide a yurt, was located on Bauer’s and Kreitlow’s property
Contributed photo by Robert Miller
Robin Miller took this photo from his home on Highway 42S Tuesday afternoon showing the North Bank Lane fire on the other side of the Coquille River. just down the road from their structure, both were saved by loresidence, which was spared. cal firefighters and homeowners. The roof of a barn in the area Homes and structures in the suffered some damage, and some area are no longer threatened, damage was reported to another according to Coos Forest Protec-
tive Association. Crews continue to work on containment lines and removing hazards. North Bank Lane is still closed from both the Bandon and Coquille sides and will remain closed for a couple more days, CFPA said. Fire danger remains extreme, though along the coast a marine layer moved in Wednesday night and temperatures have cooled significantly, while winds have calmed, trapping smoke along the South Coast. “The weather has made remarkable improvements, humidity is recovering at night,” wrote Nils Storksen, staff forester for the Oregon Department of Forestry in an email Friday morning. Storksen said Friday’s firefigthing shift included all five 20-person contracted crews, five local industry water tenders and Please see Fire, Page A8
Wildfire smoke complicates virus worries ZACK DEMARS The World
COOS BAY — Shoppers at the Coos Bay Farmers Market on Wednesday wandered through bakery and produce booths in apocalyptic conditions: Bits of ash from statewide forest fires fell to the ground as customers wearing COVID-19 face masks scanned tables splashed with
sunlight tinted orange from the thick smoke above. Meanwhile, health officials in Coos County have a simple recommendation in the face of multiple risks to the respiratory system. “The best thing you can do is stay home,” said Eric Gleason, assistant director of Coos Health & Wellness. The air quality along the
South Coast Wednesday, as well as across the state, was dismal as fires burned hundreds of thousands of acres throughout the western United States. Air in Coos Bay and nearby communities was rated as “unhealthy” and “hazardous” by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality throughout the day Wednesday. The DEQ also issued an
air quality advisory Tuesday, warning those on the coast and in other parts of Oregon to avoid time outdoors if possible and use air filters in homes and buildings. Aside from staying home if possible, Coos Health & Wellness recommend those in the path of smoke keep windows closed, use high-efficiency particulate air filters and turn Please see Smoke, Page A8
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SOUTH COAST — Fred Ferdig has been up for 24 hours a day lately. The manager of the Economy Inn in Reedsport, Ferdig’s hotel has borne an influx of guests this week — unusual for the week after Labor Day. “It’s never been anything like this,” Ferdig said. “My hours have increased quite a bit, but it’s all doing good work.” Ferdig, like many in his industry, has been playing his part in the response to massive blazes across the state. As historic fires dot all corners of Oregon and approach populated areas, evacuees have been pushed from around the state to hotels in cities with less fire impact, like those along the South Coast. Some of the most dangerous include the Beachie Creek Fire, burning 185,000 acres east of Salem, the Holiday Farm Fire, burning around 145,000 acres east of Springfield, and the Riverside fire, burning 120,000 acres near Estacada. Several others are burning in southern Oregon, including the Archie Creek Fire northeast of Roseburg, the Two Four Two Fire near Chiloquin and the South Obenchain Fire in Jackson County. All told, the Oregon Office of Emergency Management estimates that over 500,000 Oregonians — over 10% of the state’s population — have been forced to evacuate their homes due to the fires fueled by a changing climate. Ferdig, the hotel manager in Reedsport, estimates that his hotel is about 25% busier than it was this time last year. One of the main challenges he faces is getting families into right-sized rooms, especially since he has a limited number of pet-friendly spaces. “They grabbed their kids and their pets and headed for the door,” Ferdig said. The toughest part, though, is that many of his new guests have lost their homes to the flames, or don’t know the status of their property, Ferdig said. “For me, it’s a challenge,” Ferdig said. “We’re helping our neighbors.”
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