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The nation’s largest wildfire continues to consume the Klamath Basin in Southern Oregon.
Spurred by hot, dry weather and a historically bad drought, the wildfire engulfed another 50,000 acres in less than 24 hours on July 13. The blaze has now burned 212,000 acres—that’s 331 square miles, more than twice the size of Portland—and is threatening almost 2,000 structures. The current tally of destroyed primary structures is around 50, according to the Office of the State Fire Marshall.
“Typically, fire behavior is really intense during the day, and night is when we’re able to gain some ground,” Alison Green, public affairs officer for the Oregon State Fire Marshall, tells WW. “But with the Bootleg Fire, erratic conditions have continued into the night.”
For the second time in a week, emergency closures and evacuation orders were expanded for the region. Much of the area is currently under level three “Go Now” evacuation orders.
The conflagration began burning in the Fremont-Winema National Forest on July 6, but nearly doubled in size this past weekend. Even before last night’s rapid expansion, the fire was already the biggest in the U.S.
“We have not seen a fire move like this, in these conditions, this early in the year,” Incident Commander Al Lawson said in a statement. “Expect the fire to do things that you have not seen before.”
The dangerous weather conditions are likely to continue. The National Weather Service has issued a red flag warning due to wind gusts and dry conditions likely to “support extreme fire behavior.”
“Everything happened a lot sooner this year,” says Green. “The conditions are looking a lot like August, and we still have months to go.”
The rapidly expanding blaze has created towering plumes known as “flammengitus clouds” that can be seen from miles around, and has destroyed more than 50 structures. Displaced members of the community have sought shelter in the Klamath County Fairgrounds, which has been turned into an American Red Cross evacuation shelter.
Dale Kunce, CEO of the Cascades Region American Red Cross, is the manager of the warehouse-sized venue that now houses many evacuees in the area. In a joint effort with other local organizations, the shelter houses and provides services for evacuees and their livestock.
“We have about 60 to 70 people staying overnight, and that number goes up and down every day as people are able to go stay with friends or maybe they’re coming from a new evacuation area.” Kunce told WW on July 12. “The first night there were 20 people. The next night, a little bit more. As folks honestly find out that it’s a welcoming and comfortable space and there’s free food.”
The shelter is a spacious location divided into two interior sections. Most residents have parked their vehicles in the structure, piled with personal belongings, and have set up their cots next to their vehicles. Families have also claimed different corners of the building’s interior.
Some residents have also elected to sleep in their vehicles that are parked in the parking lot facing the building.
Omar, Sarah, and Noah, are evacuees from Sprague River, Ore. Omar stands by an early 2000s silver dodge minivan. His son Noah is in the front seat playing video games on a handheld console, and his wife Sarah is standing behind the van’s open trunk sorting the few belongings they have managed to pack.
Omar made the decision to bring his wife and child to the shelter three days prior, mainly because the smoke has made the air nearly unbreathable for Sarah.
“We can see the fire from our backdoor, see?” Sarah shows the photos she took from her home in the hours before they packed up their home and left. “The smoke and the wind was really strong, and that fire, you can tell it’s hungry.”
The family lives in an off-the-grid home in Sprague River. Like many of their neighbors, the family relies on solar panels along with generators for their electrical needs.
“We forgot to pack our generator, and left our propane up there.”
Like many others in the rural community, Omar and Sarah rely on neighborhood Facebook groups to try to stay up to date on the wildfire’s expansion.
“My wife, she contacted one of the neighbors and we haven’t heard nothing from nobody.” Omar gestures to another family next to him “And that guy and his family they’re from Sprague River too, and they’ve been waiting to find out what’s going on up there too because I don’t think we are allowed up there right now.”
The updates mostly come from their neighbors who have decided not to leave.
“Mark is still up there” Sarah says, referring to a neighbor. “I told him to just leave if the fire gets there, but he says this is his first fire, and it’ll be fine.”
In the Red Cross shelter, volunteers from the local veterinary clinic “Happy Pet Vet” are assisting in an annual summer practice: the evacuation, transport, and housing of livestock and pets from fire-scorched areas. Chris, a veterinary volunteer, admits that this year is nothing like they have seen before. Some 30 horses and other large livestock are in a separate building behind the shelter.
It’s also an opportunity to vaccinate the animals.
“Hey! How many animals have been vaccinated today?” Chris asks.
Dr. Tanya Shaw starts counting aloud, before looking back: “About thirty to forty today.”
Around 10:30 pm, lights begin to turn off in many trailers, RVs, and cars as families start to retire for the night. Ash begins to rain down from the sky as a soft and foreboding red glow flickers on the mountainous horizon.
