Audrey Gomez
Firefighters faced some unusual obstacles while battling a blaze that destroyed a home in the 42000 block of North River Road on Sunday, Aug. 9.
We had the steep incline and no water source,” said Sweet Home Fire and Ambulance District Lt. Eli Harris. “The fire blew through so fast the well didn’t have power.”
Additionally, the fire was in an area with limited access and there was no place for engines to turn around.
Firefighters didn’t have water for the first 20 to 30 minutes, Harris said.
Their solution to the limited access was to relay-pump water up the hill.
SHFAD officials asked Lebanon, Brownsville and Mohawk Valley fire districts to assist them by bringing tenders. SHFD’s tenders each hold 3,000 gallons of water. They used three engines to pump water to the area. By the time it was out, they used seven tenders, 21,000 gallons of water, Harris said.
Oregon Department of Forestry also was on the scene because the property is on a hillside in a heavily wooded area.
They foamed everything,” Harris said. And they will continue to do checks.
The first fire call came in at 9:42 a.m. It took about two hours to get most of the fire out, he said.
At 3:15 p.m. we got a rekindle call,” Harris said.
There was about a 50 x 100 ft patch down the hill,” Harris said. There was a very fast response from ODF, he added. They had six engines there within 15 to 20 minutes.
They ripped all the brush out of it,” Harris said. “The guy got some free landscaping out of it.”
The home was a total loss,” Harris said. “We did manage to save a couple of out-buildings – a shop, a garage and a vehicle.”
They were able to save those structures because of smart water use by firefighters, he added. They realized they weren’t going to be able to put the house fire out.
The house was cedar construction inside and out.
The house was destroyed, but there were no injuries. Home owners Randall and Kate Hall were out of the house and had the family dog with them, Harris said. He said they have two outdoor cats that were probably not in the area.
Randall Hall said Monday that the couple has no immediate needs and that all of their animals have been accounted for.
We’ve had a lot of support,” he said. “The insurance is taking good care of us, so we’re doing fine. We’re doing as well as could be expected.”
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