Southern Oregon residents mixed on whether to evacuate for Bootleg Fire

Record ID: 1628629

  • Title: Southern Oregon residents mixed on whether to evacuate for Bootleg Fire
  • Date: 24th July 2021
  • Summary: SUMMER LAKE, OREGON, UNITED STATES (JULY 24, 2021) (REUTERS) WIDE SHOT OF HOUSE AND MOUNTAIN RIDGE CLOSE UP OF EVACUATION NOTICE WIDE SHOT OF SUMMER LAKE STORE (SOUNDBITE) (English) DALE CHIONO, OWNER OF SUMMER LAKE STORE, SAYING: "I'll stay open as long as I can because I think it's a benefit to the community both with serving their needs and as far as information so I'll stay open as long as there's power and it isn't breathing down the back of us here." WIDE SHOT OF SUMMER LAKE STORE (SOUNDBITE) (English) DALE CHIONO, OWNER OF SUMMER LAKE STORE, SAYING: "I'll get my wife. She'll probably leave earlier. I'll probably stay a little bit later but I'm not going to stay here and make a stand. That's what the firefighters are for, and the structure guys. They do a great job and I trust them. And I hope I've done enough pre-prep around the store and my business that I'll be okay. " WIDE SHOT OF STORE CAT (SOUNDBITE) (English) DALE CHIONO, OWNER OF SUMMER LAKE STORE, SAYING: "I think everybody's on the same page. They have a lot of trust in the firefighters. What's going on here. I think most people since they've been through it before have become somewhat more prepared about being vigilant about their belongings or house. We try to take care of some of the older folks. Some of those folks have left which I think is a good idea. but most people, if they see it coming, they'll leave basically." WIDE SHOT OF HOUSE MEDIUM SHOT OF EVACUATION NOTICE WIDE SHOT OF DEBBIE CANNON'S HOUSE 12 (SOUNDBITE) (English) DEBBIE CANNON, SUMMER LAKE RESIDENT, SAYING: "I don't have equipment. It's best for me to be safe and go. Now I know a lot of neighbors don't because they have livestock and I understand that. They need to stay and take care of those. But I have grandchildren and they do too. But I understand the need to stay home with your animals." WIDE SHOT OF HOUSES (SOUNDBITE) (English) DEBBIE CANNON, SUMMER LAKE RESIDENT, SAYING: "I have had my car loaded since the thing started because I want to be prepared. So they come, they tell me I've taken a few things in. This time I didn't bring my computer in. It's been a pain in the rear to bring it to the car and out of the car. Okay, so yes we're supposed to evacuate, get the crap out of the house, put in the car, go." WIDE SHOT OF HORSES BY MOUNTAIN RIDGE WIDE SHOT OF COWS (SOUNDBITE) (English) DEBBIE CANNON, SUMMER LAKE RESIDENT, SAYING: "I don't want everything to burn up and it makes me sick because the entire forest is burning now. The places I take my grandkids fishing is probably gone. Takes forever for things to come back. I don't know if it's burned Sly Mountain again yet but probably, you know. It's a sad thing." WIDE SHOT OF SMOKY HILLS WIDE SHOT OF HIGHWAY
  • Embargoed: 7th August 2021 23:57
  • Keywords: Bootleg fire Oragon animals evacuation fire leaving it all behind livestock staying put
  • Location: SUMMER LAKE, OREGON, UNITED STATES
  • City: SUMMER LAKE, OREGON, UNITED STATES
  • Country: USA
  • Topics: Disaster/Accidents,Fires,United States
  • Reuters ID: LVA001EN7AD6V
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Debbie Cannon is prepared to leave, but like many facing fires in the Western United States, she's afraid that everything will be gone when she comes back.
    "It's a sad thing, "she told Reuters TV on Saturday (July 24). "The places I take my grandkids fishing is probably gone...takes forever for things to come back."
    Residents in southern Oregon who are under evacuation orders are mixed on whether to leave ahead of the Bootleg Fire, which still burns over the hill from them.
    Many of the people who live in the area in southeast Oregon affected are ranchers with livestock like cows and horses who don't want to evacuate despite being under a Level 3 evacuation order as of July 23. Both Chiono and Cannon plan to evacuate if they need to, but are reluctant to leave Summer Lake, which is under a Level 3 evacuation order (Level 3 means GO), as they have seen so many wildfires in the past.
    More than 80 major wildfires are raging across those three states and 10 others in the West, according to the National Interagency Fire Center.
    The advisory in Oregon abruptly ended the relatively favorable weather conditions that have helped firefighters gain ground in recent days against the Bootleg fire that has been burning since early July in and around the Fremont-Winema National Forest.
    The region faces a weekend of newly elevated fire risk from lower humidity and strong, gusty winds that "can fan the flames and spread embers," Sarah Rogowski, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Salt Lake City, told Reuters.
    As of Friday, the Bootleg had blackened more than 400,000 acres (162,000 hectares) of drought-parched brush and timber and destroyed at least 67 homes near the California border. At its peak, an estimated 2,000 people were displaced by evacuations.
    (Video and Production: Deborah Blooom)
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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