The nugget., June 14, 2017, Page 25, Image 25

Wednesday, June 14, 2017 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
Raising awareness for Relay for Life
It’s a silly, whimsical stunt
with a serious purpose.
Keith Dietrich, who raises
funds for Relay for Life,
dropped off a purple porta-
potty at Village Interiors last
week. The staff there had
a few options: Drop $10 in
the toilet and Keith would
take the visually … striking
… device away. For $20, he
would send it along to a rec-
ommended friend. For $30,
Village Interiors salesper-
son Anita Bardizian could
ensure that the purple toi-
let would never, ever come
back.
Bardizian took a risk —
she dropped a 20, foregoing
the insurance. And she sent
the toilet along to Sweeney
Plumbing.
The whole thing is kind
of a big joke — but it’s got
significant meaning behind
it. The idea is to make more
people in Sisters aware of
their connection to Redmond-
Sisters Relay for Life. The
Relay, which takes place
in cities across America, is
the largest fundraiser for the
American Cancer Society.
It’s set this year at Obsidian
Middle School in Redmond
on July 8.
Walkers take turns around
the track over a 24-hour
FIRES: Two fires in
two days kept crews
busy in Sisters
Continued from page 1
PHOTO BY JIM CORNELIUS
Anita zardizian dropd a bill in the toilet ad her colleague Sonia Garcia,
American Cancer Society Community Manager Lida zacon, and fundraider
extraordinaire Keith Dietrich look on.
period to “Crush Cancer”
with pledge donations. There
is also a candlelight cer-
emony, a remembrance of
loved ones lost to the disease,
and a celebration of cancer
survivors.
Lisa Bacon, community
manager for the American
Cancer Society, said that par-
ticipation from Sisters has
been light and they are trying
to raise awareness and par-
ticipation in the region-wide
event.
For more information,
visit www.relayforlife.org/
redmondsistersor.
According to Sisters Fire
Chief Roger Johnson, 21
firefighters from the Sisters-
Camp Sherman Fire District,
Cloverdale Fire District
and Black Butte Ranch
Fire District responded to
the fire. An off-duty Black
Butte Ranch Police offi-
cer also responded to the
incident.
First-arriving firefight-
ers found a home with fire
on the roof and along the
ground near the foundation
of the home. Firefighters
extinguished the fire and
used saws to access burning
wooden structural members
in the floor system. No dam-
age estimate was available at
press time but Chief Johnson
reported that the home did
suffer significant smoke dam-
age throughout, along with
damage to the roof and floor
system.
The fire appeared to be
caused from heat from a
wood stove chimney igniting
the wooden shingle roof. It is
possible that the source of the
heat could have been a chim-
ney fire that spread sparks
and heat onto the roofing
25
and ground on the side of
the structure, chief Johnson
reported.
“It was very fortunate that
the occupants discovered the
fire when they did,” chief
Johnson said. “The fire was
burning into the floor system
of the home and would have
made it difficult to evacuate
safely in a short period of
time.”
On Monday morning
at about 9 a.m., a neigh-
bor reported a fire in a
house on Sagebrush Lane
east of Sisters. According
to Cloverdale Fire District
Chief Thad Olsen, the fire
was in the kitchen and liv-
ing room when firefighters
arrived. Quick action pre-
vented significant structural
involvement.
Chief Olsen estimated
about $50,000 in damage to
the rooms and contents and
noted that the entire house
took smoke damage. He esti-
mated about $40,000 in dam-
age to the building.
The cause of that fire
remains under investigation.
Chief Olsen noted that
Cloverdale volunteers train
with Sisters regularly and the
cooperative training is paying
off.
“We appreciate the coop-
eration we have with Sisters
district,” he said. “It made for
a successful operation.”