Long-time Medford resident John Prendergast was on the national fire management team that took command on July 29. In fact, Edwards said, during the first day helicopters had dropped more than 50 buckets containing over 17,000 gallons of water. “You need someone (on) the ground to go in direct and knock out the fire on the ground. “They can’t do it alone with just aviation assets,” he said. Edwards dismissed the claim that a few aerial water drops could have killed the fire early on. The decision was made to pull back and figure out a better way to attack the fire. “The lack of safety zones and escape routes became really evident that we’re probably gonna get somebody hurt if we remain engaged like we are,” he said. He said it soon became clear the terrain was too treacherous to keep firefighters on the ground. Edwards said firefighters who rappelled into the remote scene struggled with steep, unstable slopes. The decision was made within 15 minutes.”įire officer Monty Edwards assumed command of the fire on July 13, the day after it was first reported. “Just wanted to state right off, this was never a fire that we wanted,” Trulock told the crowd. About 120 people showed up at the high school gym to hear what fire managers had to say.Ĭraig Trulock, with the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest, denied the fire was deliberately allowed to burn. This is the atmosphere Forest Service officials faced at a public meeting in Brookings on Sept. And then we would be talking about what a great summer we’ve having.”Īngry tweets and Facebook posts amplified the indignation. “But it could have been taken care of back then with a few helicopter buckets. “I have no doubt that the terrain where this started, the original quarter acre, is very difficult and possibly dangerous for on the ground,” he said. Conservative talk radio host Bill Meyer at KMED in Medford repeatedly blasted the Chetco Bar Fire response. On his YouTube video blog, Lewis accused the Forest Service of allowing the Chetco Bar fire to burn as part of a liberal agenda. The US Forest Service could have prevented this easily, and they didn’t.” And there is no excuse for it whatsoever. As the fire grew and the air thickened, tempers flared. It also – along with other major fires - created unhealthy air quality over western Oregon and northern California. It burned in an area of more than 191,000 acres, forcing hundreds of people to evacuate and destroying several homes. Eligible items can include expenses for field camps equipment use, repair and replacement mobilization and demobilization activities and tools, materials and supplies.For a few weeks in late summer, Chetco Bar was the nation’s top priority fire. They do not provide assistance to individuals, homeowners or business owners and do not cover other infrastructure damage caused by the fire.įMAGs are provided through the President's Disaster Relief Fund and made available by FEMA to assist in fighting fires that threaten to cause a major disaster. These grants provide reimbursement for firefighting and life-saving efforts. The authorization makes FEMA funding available to pay 75 percent of the state of Oregon’s eligible firefighting costs for managing, mitigating and controlling designated fires. The fire was zero percent contained at the time of FMAG approval. Seventeen other large fires were burning uncontrolled within the state. The fire started on August 12, 2017, and had burned in excess of 43,000 acres of federal, state, private, and tribal land. Mandatory and voluntary evacuations were issued for approximately 1750 people. The fire was also threatening supporting infrastructure in the area. Approximately 350 of the threatened homes are primary residences and 350 are secondary homes. PDT on August 20, 2017.Īt the time of the request, the fire was threatening 700 homes in and around the communities of Tillman Ranch, Wilderness Retreat and South Fork Campground. Loper approved the state of Oregon’s request for a federal Fire Management Assistance Grant (FMAG) at 12:35 a.m. The FEMA Acting Regional Administrator, Sharon Loper, determined that the fire threatened such destruction as would constitute a major disaster. SEATTLE – The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has authorized the use of federal funds to help with firefighting costs for the Chetco Bar Fire burning in Curry County, Oregon.
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