News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Structural firefighting teams patrolled Edginton Road, Crossroads and Tollgate after evacuation.
While hundreds of firefighters were on the line in the forest trying to contain the Black Crater Fire, dozens more were stationed in Crossroads, along Edgington Road and in Tollgate waiting to battle the blaze if it stormed into residential neighborhoods and threatened homes.
After Crossroads and Edgington Road were evacuated, four task forces including fire engines from departments across Oregon scrambled to meet the threat. Firefighters came from Lebanon, Hillsboro, the central coast - and, of course, from Sisters, Cloverdale and Black Butte Ranch.
More firefighters arrived as Tollgate was evacuated on Saturday.
Some structural engines were used to assist in mop-up operations on the eastern part of the fire line near Crossroads and Edgington Road. But the structural protection crews also handled more prosaic duties.
"We're watering your potted plants when we can," Sisters Fire Chief Tay Robertson told a citizens' meeting on Monday morning.
The statement drew appreciative applause.
The five days of heightened alert put a strain on Sisters' resources.
Robertson told The Nugget that ambulances and an engine were left standing by in the Sisters Fire Hall in case another emergency cropped up that required firefighter response.
By Sunday, Robertson was thinking about how to rotate out volunteers and paid staff.
"We don't want to burn them out completely, for obvious reasons," he said. "We might need 'em."
Robertson said that evacuations went smoothly and the public has been understanding and reasonable in the face of the frustration of being displaced from their homes.
"It's typical of this community," he said. "It's just a wonderful place."
Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.
Reader Comments(0)