Raging wildfires take their toll on Oregon firefighters as blazes flare across the U.S. West

Record ID: 1626849

  • Title: Raging wildfires take their toll on Oregon firefighters as blazes flare across the U.S. West
  • Date: 15th July 2021
  • Summary: KLAMATH COUNTY, OREGON, UNITED STATES (JULY 12, 2021) (REUTERS) WIDE SHOT OF FIREFIGHTER WITH HOSE SPRAYING FIRE-DAMAGED AREA WIDE SHOT OF FIRE DEBRIS WIDE SHOT OF FIRE VEHICLE AHEAD OF DEBRIS WIDE SHOT OF TRACTOR SMOKING BURNED TREE WIDE SHOT OF TRUCK BURNED SIGN FIREFIGHTER PUTTING OUT HOT SPOT (SOUNDBITE) (English) GARRETT SOUZA, CHILOQUIN RESIDENT AND FIREFIGHTER, SAYING: "Here's it is kind of unique that we have... I think it gives us an advantage or a special skill set to be able to adjust to all those types of fuel types. That's, I think, a blessing." FIREFIGHTERS WALKING FIREFIGHTERS TALKING IN FIRE-DAMAGED AREA (SOUNDBITE) (English) GARRETT SOUZA, CHILOQUIN RESIDENT AND FIREFIGHTER, SAYING: "It's the accumulative fatigue that really I think wears a person out over time. And then there's very much emotional attachment. One of my brothers - he's my brother in the fire but he's my brother beyond that, we grew up together, we went to school together. His ranch is right down the road, The ... Ranch, and he's lost all his cows. Lost so much stuff in that. That's hard. That's the hard part." FIREFIGHTER PUTTING OUT FIRE (SOUNDBITE) (English) GARRETT SOUZA, CHILOQUIN RESIDENT AND FIREFIGHTER, SAYING: "I was here for the initial attack of it when it first started. Yeah, that was - I think we did 39 hours on that. And it pushed us the whole time. When we first got here it was pushing to the north really hard. The initial size-up was 1-5 acres. By the time we actually got on scene, it was quite a bit larger than that. Wasn't able to engage right away." LOG BURNING IN FOREST VIEW OF TRUCK DRIVING ON ROAD TO FIRE CAMP TRUCKS PARKED AT FIRE CAMP FIREFIGHTERS CARRYING WATER BOTTLES MEDIUM SHOT OF TRUCKS AT FIRE CAMP (SOUNDBITE) (English) SHAWN HOGAN, KLAMATH FALLS RESIDENT AND FIREFIGHTER, SAYING: "The fire behavior is unpredictable so just several aspects, you know, there's a lot of aspects and variables that come into play. I mean you've got weather, terrain, fuels, fuel types, moisture content, so several different things that play into effect out there." TRUCKS PARK AT FIRE CAMP VIEW OF FIREFIGHTERS TALKING AT FIRE CAMP (SOUNDBITE) (English) SHAWN HOGAN, KLAMATH FALLS RESIDENT AND FIREFIGHTER," "It's our backyard so we have pride in our work and pride in protecting our own woods and country here. So we take a lot of pride. I get a lot of gratitude in it. You know, you have the 80-year-old couple out there who have worked their whole lives for a home and you know, we go and save it. They say they don't have insurance. We get a lot of gratitude out of that and a lot of thank you and stuff. We don't make a lot of money but we work really hard and we have pride in what we do." TENTS FOR FIREFIGHTERS FIREFIGHTERS DEBRIEFING AT CAMP FIREFIGHTERS LISTENING
  • Embargoed: 29th July 2021 23:21
  • Keywords: Oregon wildfires
  • Location: KLAMATH COUNTY, OREGON, UNITED STATES
  • City: KLAMATH COUNTY, OREGON, UNITED STATES
  • Country: USA
  • Topics: Environment,Nature/Wildlife,United States
  • Reuters ID: LVA001ELYE5AF
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Hand crews backed by water-dropping helicopters struggled on Thursday (July 15) to suppress a huge wildfire displacing roughly 2,000 residents in southern Oregon, the largest among dozens of blazes raging across the drought-stricken U.S. West.
    The Bootleg fire has charred more than 227,000 acres (91,860 hectares) of desiccated timber and brush in and around the Fremont-Winema National Forest since erupting on July 6 about 250 miles (400 km) south of Portland.
    That total was up 12,000 acres from Wednesday's tally. Firefighters extended containment lines carved around the blaze to 7% of its perimeter, up from 5% a day earlier, but were far from gaining the upper hand.
    Local firefighters have described the grueling fight against the flames that has been further complicated by different fuel types in the area.
    "It's our backyard so we have pride in our work and pride in protecting our own woods and country here. So we take a lot of pride. I get al to of gratitude in it. You know, you have the 80-year-old couple out there who have worked their whole lives for a home and you know, we go and save it. They say they don't have insurance. We get a lot of gratitude out of that and a lot of thank you and stuff. We don't make a lot of money but we work really hard and we have pride in what we do," Shawn Hogan, a Klamath County firefighter told Reuters on Monday (July 12).
    "It's the accumulative fatigue that really I think wears a person out over time. And then there's very much emotional attachment. One of my brothers - he's my brother in fire but he's my beyond that, we grew up together, we went to school together. His ranch is right down the road, The ... Ranch, and he's lost all his cows. Lost so much stuff in that. That's hard. That's the hard part," added Garrett Souza, another local firefighter.
    The Bootleg ranks as the largest by far of 70 major active wildfires listed on Thursday as having blackened nearly 1 million acres in 11 states, the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho, reported. It is also the sixth-largest on record in Oregon since 1900, according to state forestry figures.
    Other states hard hit by the latest spate of wildfires include California, Idaho, Montana and Alaska.
    (Production: Deborah Bloom)
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