‘I’m tired, I want my house back’: Residents recall Alder Springs Fire evacuations
Tracee Tuesday
TERREBONNE, Ore. [KTVZ] — Wildfires continue to challenge communities in central Oregon as the Alder Springs Fire approached Crooked River Ranch on June 16th.
Residents who were forced from their homes during Level 3 – Go Now evacuations, had so much on their minds like:
Is their home destroyed
Will their home be burglarized
Did they bring all of their important documents and family photos, etc.
The Oregon State Fire Marshal hosted a community meeting at Terrebonne Community School Gymnasium, Wednesday evening. Residents were able to receive first-hand updates on the Alder Springs Fire and ask questions.
A few takeaways from Wednesday’s meeting:
The Oregon State Fire Marshal said law enforcement agencies are brought in to specifically curtail neighborhoods to discourage theft
Right before the meeting began at 7PM, the County Sheriff Offices along with local fire agencies, canceled Level 3 – Go Now evacuations for all areas related to the Alder Springs Fire
Law enforcement reiterated that the fire was human-caused and said that formal charges have been filed against the perpetrator
Crook County resident Sandy said she is exhausted.
“I’m tired. I want my house back. I hope it’s still there.”
“We haven’t had an evacuation before, and so it was new,” said Walt.
Other residents said they were “frazzled,” but threw what they could into their car and left.
Some residents say securing their belongings before evacuating was essential.
“Like I took a virtual my whole home and took the phone and just took a picture of everything in my home. And then I took out the safe. I took out the passports and all my belongings and all my insurance information, everything that I needed for the house
Public Information Officer, Gert Zoutendijk, of the Oregon State Fire Marshal’s office, said one of the toughest jobs they have is at the beginning of a fire because they must survey the area and make unpopular decisions, fast.
“We don’t have all the resources either, When a big fire happens, we have to pick and choose, and we have to do it fast, and that survey really helps us to pick and choose and see if we have to spend a lot of time on somebody’s home, which we probably don’t want to do that, because we want to do the most amount of good for the most amount of homes.”
Still, residents remain grateful to all fire and law enforcement agencies for protecting their homes while those responsible are held accountable.
The Oregon State Fire Marshal said one of the most specific guidelines, particularly with residents whose properties are in areas where it’s prone to fire:
Make sure you have defensible space around your property
Have an overnight bag at the ready, filled with your personal belongings and things you don’t want to part with in case you’re issued a Level 3 – Go Now alert .