Fires

If you're out of state, you probably aren't aware of the extent of the fires here in Oregon -- as well as California and Washington. There's a line of them up and down the state and a shortage of firefighters who are stretched far too thin. Some have been out of state helping our neighbors and are presumably on their way back home now. No air support that I can find on Flightradar24. They are stretched thin, as well. If you're interested, here's a good link for info on current status of fires in the state.

Two small towns on the I-5 corridor in southern Oregon have been flattened, more or less, as has a small town east of here, on the McKenzie River. I think of the southern Oregon towns as pass-bys on the route to and from California. Phoenix, to me, is merely the first good place to gas-up once I'm back in Oregon where the gas is cheaper than California. But people live there, work there, have lost their homes there.

The fire to the east of here has my full attention, however.  For one thing, it's a beautiful area with beautiful hiking trails. The river is also where water for the city of Eugene comes from. Pure and clear. Our maintenance man here at the home lives up in or near the town that is mostly gone. Hoping that somehow, his home was spared. Beyond that, the fire has been creeping westward and branching off, so that now it is right on the eastern edge of the city of Springfield, across I-5 from us, causing Level 1, 2, and 3 evacuation orders. The upper branch is edging closer to here, also with multi-level evac orders.

There are fires in literally every direction, even on the coast, so where would we go to evacuate? Only so many can fit into whatever evacuation center might be established. They've already had to move the first such center in Springfield.

The latest warning finally got my attention. No, it's not near me yet -- maybe 15 miles or so with a lot of city in between -- but to see the evac zones encroaching upon Springfield was an eye-opener. And I think of the cities of Santa Rosa and Paradise in California, and how quickly those fires flattened whole neighborhoods in the city and in the case of Paradise, practically the entire city. I no longer think 'it can't happen here'. It can.

Last night I'd gathered a few important papers and put them on my desk. This afternoon, I put those, plus photos and other 'important' things into a bag and put them into the trunk of my car where they will stay until this is all over.  Air quality out there back in the 500s, off-the-charts hazardous. I feel it in my nose and lungs still, though I was probably not out there for more than 5 minutes.

That's Debbie Downer's report for now.