Oregon fires

Jolly · wrote on 11 Sept 2020, 04:27

Stay safe, my friend.

brenda · wrote on 11 Sept 2020, 04:52

Rainman, I'm so glad you're getting out and have a hotel room ready. They're going to be booked up pretty soon.

So sorry to hear of your family members' situations. It's awful, just plain awful. Well, more like spectacularly awful.

I hope your home is spared, and your motorcycle. I know what you mean about the great places to ride in your area. It's just beautiful, which makes it all the worse to have it burn.

Go to the corner market called World Foods. I think it's on Everett and 10th? You'll find fabulous ice cream there. If the owner, John, is there, tell him Brenda from Minnesooooooota says hello. Yes, spoil yourself and your bride with some ice cream from there. They have yummy stuff.

Also go to their prepared food section for excellent takeout Middle Eastern dishes. You'll make me jealous of all the good things you will find there. Everything is excellent from John's store. He even has terrific wines.

Have a feast and tell us all about what you got to enjoy. If Portland is burning around the edges, you can still be cool at the hotel.

Larry · wrote on 12 Sept 2020, 00:34

Wow. I hope things work out ok for you, Rainman. I experienced this once too, lost a vacation home in it. But I was never personally in any danger. Keep safe. Just remember that things can be replaced. People cant.

Horace · wrote on 12 Sept 2020, 02:48

Stay safe Rainman.

brenda · 9 Dec 2020, 09:40

Updates when you can, Rainman. I hope the change of wind direction helps.

George K · wrote on 12 Sept 2020, 15:30

Downtown Portland, yesterday.

Rainman · 12 Sept 2020, 21:09

Thanks for the kind words and support. George's picture of PDX is spot-on. Very smokey, smells like camping, fresh air and sunlight are a memory.
SIL in Estacata moved in with another of my wife's sisters, SIL and her husband from Beavercreek moved in with relatives in Vancouver. Several neighbors around us have taken in family members, extra cars and RV's throughout the neighborhood. We are fine, added towels at the base of exterior doors, we have two portable air purifiers I dug out of the garage, not sure they help much but one has charcoal filters and is new, so who knows. We are right inside level 2 boundary and given how calm it is, there is no chance the fire will overrun us. At least that's my opinion and I'm always right. The smoke is really thick, there is no wind to blow it away.
I'm sure my most depressing report will be when this is over, and we get to go see the destruction from the fire.

George K · wrote on 12 Sept 2020, 21:09

@Rainman wow.

Just wow.

I trust that, despite the smoke and annoying nature of what's going on, your property is safe, right?

Thanks for the update.

Catseye3 · wrote on 12 Sept 2020, 21:50

" . . . added towels at the base of exterior doors . . . " GULP!

Thanks for checking in, Rainman. Thinking of you, and hoping this will all be in y'alls rearview very soon.

Kincaid · 9 Dec 2020, 23:22

@jon-nyc said in Oregon fires:

Turns out this was incorrect info - 40,000 people evacuated from rural Clackamas Co.

I remain in level 1 green area. If you imagine a cross made by I-205 and Hwy 212/224 I am in the NW corner. SW quadrant is level 2 yellow and I am maybe 2 miles away as the crow flies. My FIL lives in Oregon City and did spend the night with Family in SW Washington but then returned. There is a lot of city between him and the fire.

Coming downstairs into the living room in the morning it smells like bacon. Early in the week we had super high wind and tree falls and debris everywhere. Now the air outside is so still. At first smoke was like a blanket keeping heat in and night time temps dropped only to about 70. Now it is keeping out the sun and at 4 pm it is still 66 degrees. I thought we were going to have a sea breeze push this smoke out of the area but for 3 straight days stillness and choking smoke/fog.

mark · 13 Sept 2020, 02:23

Hoping for a quick resolution to all of these fires and that you and yours, all stay safe.

Kincaid · wrote on 12 Sept 2020, 23:53

Thanks! The fellow I bought my pick up from a bit over a year ago is smack in the middle of the red zone and was evacuated. He left behind several trucks he couldn't move.

There are two large fire complexes that possibly could merge and if they did so in the wrong way, could trap people (I think all regular citizens are out of that area) and that is quite scary.

brenda · wrote on 13 Sept 2020, 01:25

Kincaid and Rainman, thank you for the updates. It's very good to hear from both of you. The winds are supposed to be in your favor now, pushing against the fire from the west, and I hope that helps both of you. Rain by Monday? Holy cow, let's hope it comes.

Glad to know you're safe and taking care. Please continue to keep us posted. I think about you many times each day.

taiwan_girl · M mark 12 Sept 2020, 23:48

@mark said in Oregon fires:

Hoping for a quick resolution to all of these fires and that you and yours, all stay safe.

+1

brenda · wrote on 15 Sept 2020, 11:17

Some evac zones are now downgraded, which is a good sign. What'sgoing on at your place, Rainman? Kincaid, any changes in your area?

Rainman · wrote on 15 Sept 2020, 19:10

Smoke is still bad, the weak front that was suppose to help didn't come onshore enough, so looks like later this week for the winds to be sufficient to clear the air. No threat of fire progressing our way. They say the fires will continue to burn until the Fall rains set in. So, pretty much status quo. I want to see the sun again!

Jolly · wrote on 15 Sept 2020, 19:29

Don't blame you.

Stay safe!

Rainman · wrote on 15 Sept 2020, 23:41

I could see the sun a few minutes ago. Just a bright disc in the sky. Got my cell phone to take a picture, and it was gone. There is no sun anymore, I can prove it.
So far I personally know of one family that lost their home in Estacada. They lost everything of course, the fires rarely burn half a home.
Fortunately, my SIL's in Estacada and Beavercreek did not receive any fire damage, although the fire came within a mile of the SIL in Estacada.

I am sure it will be a huge shock when people are allowed to go tour the damage. Both fires were massive in terms of square miles burned. And it was beautiful forest. Hopefully some trees survived, but the west side of the Cascades is more Douglas Fir than Pine, and Pine I know can survive some fires.

brenda · wrote on 16 Sept 2020, 00:21

Yes, those forest areas are/were gorgeous. It's a big loss for your area and your state. Glad your two SILs' homes were spared.

The smoke in Eugene is also terrible. It's as you described, the sun is a little glow in the sky there, too.

We're getting your smoke here in Minnesoooooota. Our sunset tonight was a fluorescent orange. The general haze in the sky makes it dark earlier than usual.

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Oregon fires