Port Orford Fire
When I heard the dispatcher say that the fire department was going to be called out for a house fire, I grabbed my coat, patted my dog on the head, and rushed out the door. Though I wasn't on ambulance duty, most of our drivers work both fire and ambulance. So I relieved the on-call driver to join the fire crew.
Saturday morning, December 27th, 10:00 a.m. The call came as a residential fire with two possible burn victims. I arrived with my medic a few minutes later to find Port Orford Police Officer Dresser already managing the scene. The best news was that we didn't need to transport any patients to the hospital. The medic treated the patients at the scene, and I grabbed my camera and hiked up the hill to document the scene.
In the few minutes it took the fire department to arrive on scene, the 97-year-old house was clearly beyond salvage. The job became one of ensuring that the forested hillside and adjoining homes were safe. Chief Wilcox and her crew, along with help from Sixes Fire Department battled not only fire, but heavy rain, wind and cold. In the end, they won only one battle - they beat the fire.
We were able to keep the hoses supplied with water from a hydrant about 100 yards down the hill. All of us were kept busy hauling hoses, packing oxygen tanks, and keeping each other safe.
Crews worked over four hours drenching the blaze with thousands of gallons of water. Eventually, the fire chief was able to release the hard-working volunteers from Sixes. The Port Orford volunteers continued to work in the rain and wind, not finishing up until late in the afternoon.
The ambulance crew was able to pick up sandwiches and coffee from Paradise Cafe, who gladly supplied an unexpected order of 30 delicious meals. One kind woman brought treats and coffee from her nearby home. Trust me, the Emergency Service volunteers were appreciative.
You can see by the smoke that this house is already lost.
