By JOY KINGSBURY/for The Herald — On a quiet Thursday, late afternoon, August 8th, billowing black smoke began to rise from the Sportsman’s’ frontage property on Highway 58, and the alarm went out. Soon, flames began to leap higher and the smoke thick and dark rising high into the sky from two abandoned homes on the bank just above the highway. Sirens began wailing and fire fighting vehicles started to arrive. Hoses were pulled from the engines, water connected and being pumped on the fires, both homes were burning furiously.
More fire fighting vehicles arrived, and effort were under way to get traffic under control and advising onlookers to get out of the way. By dusk the homes were a smoldering ruin. One fire fighter was placed on duty to do an overnight patrol to protect the remains for inspectors, who will investigate the cause of the fire, which strongly suggests arson.
All available resources responded
Those who responded to the call were, Oakridge Police, Lowell Fire Department, Pleasant Hill Fire Dept., Goshen Fire Dept., Oakridge Public Works, US Forest Service, Lane Co. Sheriff department, and Oregon Dept. of Transportation.
Vigilance is the key to ensure the fire is, in fact, out
Firefighter, Trevver D’ Auteuil, new to the Oakridge Fire Department, took the duty to guard the premises overnight. Auteuil’s job was to ensure that the fires did not rekindle and to protect the area from those who would tamper with evidence that the inspectors will need to determine the cause of the fires. He would walk the patrol all night long with nowhere to sit; staying alert to make sure the area was secure. His wife brought him food and he did have a fire fighting vehicle in case of emergency or need for more water parked nearby in the church parking lot.
Our area has been victim to large forest fires, and we have been dealing with smoke, fumes and ashes. Even evacuations for the past few years during the summer has been the norm. Our firefighters mean a lot to us, and they deserve respect for the jobs they take on that are dirty and dangerous. Many of these firefighters are also trained emergency medics and we all recognize the need for them. So, a heartfelt thanks to you all.
George Custer lives in Oakridge with his wife Sayre. George is a former smokejumper from his hometown of Cave Junction, a former captain in the U.S. Marine Corps. and ran a construction company in Southern California. George assumed the volunteer duties as the Editor of the Highway 58 Herald in 2022. He loves riding his Harley-Davidson motorcycle, building all things wood, and playing drums on the weekends in his office.
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