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Anxious to hear how you fared.

Hoping for the best.

Got there.

Put some things away that had fuel in them.

Got some more clothes and backup meds and other stuff. Checked the houses

I could have and probably should have waited though; they are still somewhat busy up there and I got a little bit in their way once or twice; twice had to scramble while driving to get out of the way of equipment/resources being moved.

As for my property, it is all still there - I checked the houses on my road and they seemed secure.

TVFR is doing a real good job trying to keep the fire away from structures. They are currently using dozers to create firebreaks and taking care of flareups/etc.
 
Got there.

Put some things away that had fuel in them.

Got some more clothes and backup meds and other stuff. Checked the houses

I could have and probably should have waited though; they are still somewhat busy up there and I got a little bit in their way once or twice; twice had to scramble while driving to get out of the way of equipment/resources being moved.

As for my property, it is all still there - I checked the houses on my road and they seemed secure.

TVFR is doing a real good job trying to keep the fire away from structures. They are currently using dozers to create firebreaks and taking care of flareups/etc.
That's great news, thanks for sharing.
 

"The thing that's bothering me the most is, we don't know what's going on, how soon we can get back in to see, just to know if we have a home," the 69-year-old from Molalla told Oregon Public Broadcasting. "We don't know. The thing I dread the most is not knowing."

Good point - although I am fairly certain of the outcome now (my house/property and neighborhood is untouched as of this morning), it is the lack of info that wears on a person - IMO. So I can empathize.
 
We had a major fire break outside of my AO so I geared up and went over to assist in any way I could. Other than backup the local fire station because their guys were all out on the fire, I was tasked with managing the station supplies that we distributed to the evacuated public, things like Gatorade, water, and general supplies which included tons of donations from a very supportive public.

The number one thing we constantly dealt with was from folks who needed an update on their property, or who needed their pets or livestock tended to. "I already know my house burned down, I saw it on TV. Can you check on my horses?"

But here was the kicker. We had a map, a list, of the addresses of the homes that did not make it through the fire. Unfortunately the brass wouldn't allow us to release that info to the public, even if they had positive proof of where they lived (Driver's License etc.). The brass was concerned about panic reactions from an already distraught public.

We had a young couple who'd booked a flight to Hawaii to get married. They'd left their packed bags by the door. Brass gave us permission to drive them in to pick up their bags. We put the young man in the back of our rescue while his fiance stayed at the station. We drove to their home in the middle of their small community.

As we drove down the street, the homes were virtually un-phased by the fire. There was only one window in the back of the rescue, in the door looking directly to the rear. The young man had a clear view of the homes as we passed, to his relief I'm sure.

We got to his house and saw that it had been leveled, burnt to the ground the day before. I got out and went around the rescue to open the door and let the young man out. All he could see was untouched homes which were fully intact behind us. I looked him in the eye and said, 'Sorry man.' He looked at me in a befuddled way. I repeated, "Sorry. Your home didn't make it'. He turned toward his home and horror came over his face. I'll never forget that.

We then went up to the burned out concrete pad and figured out where each room had stood, he then sifting through the ashes to see if he could find the wedding ring itself. It had been passed down from his grandmother to his bride-to-be.

Keep in mind that this was a full day after the fire had passed. The concrete pad was so hot that it was burning my feet through my boots. My hands did the same through my firefighting gloves as I helped him dig. He was in tennis shoes with no gloves. The soles of his shoes got so hot that they began to melt and separated from the main upper section of the shoes. I have no idea how he withstood the heat.

We had camera crews (CNN and local) and reporters tagging along. After about 45 minutes we were going to have to evacuate the scene. The young man suddenly found the ring! The diamond was missing but he had the ring. He was going to return later to search out the diamond.

That made the front page of the local paper, yours truly included. I went home and told my kids about it and broke into tears.

A lot of people don't understand the emotional toll that firefighters undertake as the years go by. Medical emergencies, traffic accidents, wildfires, and more. It's even tough to watch now, let alone participate in. But we certainly get a feel for what victims go through, including not knowing the status of their homes or loved ones. :(
 
I am home. Came home last night. Level 2 evac but I think they have it under control now.

Power restored 830 last night.

Don't have internet access though. I think it is because maybe neighbor turned off his house power - my wifi relays thru his antenna

99% humidity this morning

All food in chest freezer still good. Maybe would have lasted another couple of days it was in the 20s

Food in the refrigerator some of it will have to be thrown out dairy products some meat. Food in the refrigerator / freezer will probably be okay so minimal food spoilage freezer when I have lasted much longer there in the house it was up to 34 degrees

Spent a few hours cleaning up a lot of the trash that came down during the wind storm
 
I am home. Came home last night. Level 2 evac but I think they have it under control now.

Power restored 830 last night.

Don't have internet access though. I think it is because maybe neighbor turned off his house power - my wifi relays thru his antenna

99% humidity this morning

All food in chest freezer still good. Maybe would have lasted another couple of days it was in the 20s

Food in the refrigerator some of it will have to be thrown out dairy products some meat. Food in the refrigerator / freezer will probably be okay so minimal food spoilage freezer when I have lasted much longer there in the house it was up to 34 degrees

Spent a few hours cleaning up a lot of the trash that came down during the wind storm
Great news.
 
I came home to this. the smoke makes it hard to read. But these are the people who spent most of the week working around the clock risking their lives protecting our property and houses and lives. Heroes and heroines. And they take the time the welcome us home.

IMG_20200912_174627_373.jpg
 
Here is a photo from our front porch a day before we evacuated. I ran back down yesterday and retrieved some more stuff, and our house is still there. Hoping that the winds don't pick back up before the rains start.

20200909_085143.jpg
 

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