Six structures lost to explosive Cram Fire, now approaching 100,000 acres: One resident shares story
Isabella Warren
(Update: Adding video, comments from neighbor)
ASHWOOD, Ore. (KTVZ) — Residents living in the Ashwood community are grappling with the loss of structures after the over 95,000-acre Cram Fire started this week.
The fire that began last Sunday has exploded in size day after day as fire crews struggle to establish containment and protect homes. According to the National Interagency Fire Center, as of Friday morning’s daily situation report (PDF), six structures have been destroyed.
Kyle Butler lives near Ashwood and has seen the devastation. He says his neighbor, Lynn Alps, lost her home in the flames.
“Firefighters told us with Lynn’s house, they fought it on every front, every front they possibly could. It came from four different ways. And they tried to stop it,” said Butler. “And it just got to a point where it was coming up a draw, and there was nothing they could do.”
Butler says he hopes to help Alps as she tries to rebuild with a fundraiser.
“It’s someone’s life. It’s their whole home, everything, their memories, their sentimental values, everything that they’ve collected over however many years. And it’s all gone within a day. “
Lynn Alps home after the Cram Fire burned near AshwoodCredit: Kyle Butler
KTVZ News has also learned a family has lost a barn in the fire. According to the family’s GoFundMe page, “My grandparents lost almost everything in the Cram Fire. Their barn — full of tools, equipment, food stores, and supplies they built up over a lifetime — is completely gone. They also lost some of their livestock. They were lucky to escape with their lives.”
Credit: GoFundMe
Residents in the area have told KTVZ News that many of them have not evacuated the area of Ashwood, despite the Level 3 evacuation notice. They say instead, they are defending their homes and properties, with the help of their own equipment and structure firefighters stationed in the area.