WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2020 | SILVERTONAPPEAL.COM
PART OF THE USA TODAY NETWORK
Electric system ‘suspect’ in fires
Why all power wasn’t shut
off in Santiam Canyon
Claire Withycombe
Salem Statesman Journal
USA TODAY NETWORK
As one of the most dangerous fire weather events in
Oregon’s history swept down the Cascade Range on
Labor Day, bringing hurricane-force dry winds, Port-
land General Electric shut off power to 5,000 homes
near Mount Hood.
“The outage is a last resort to help protect people,
property and the environment in the face of extreme
fire danger conditions and high winds forecast for the
area,” the company said of the decision to turn off
power at about 7:30 p.m. that night.
But not every utility took the same step.
Consumers Power Inc. shut off power in the San-
tiam Canyon at about 7 p.m. But the lines remained
live for Bonneville Power Administration and Pacific
Power.
In the Santiam Canyon, fire officials blamed
downed power lines for igniting 13 wildfires that
kicked up on high winds and become a firestorm that
burned from Detroit to Lyons.
At least four people died in the Beachie Creek Fire
and a still-unknown number of homes were lost.
Pacific Gas & Electric Company began implement-
See ELECTRIC, Page 4A
Workers continue to repair the power system after
flames from the Beachie Creek Fire burned through
Fishermen’s Bend Recreation Site east of Salem. The
wildfire caused the evacuation of 40,000 residents,
killing four people and one is still missing. ROB
SCHUMACHER/STATESMAN JOURNAL VIA USA TODAY NETWORK
$100,000 raised
in four days for
Santiam Canyon
Bill Poehler
Salem Statesman Journal
USA TODAY NETWORK
Don Myron poses for a photo at his mother’s home in Woodburn on Tuesday. Myron escaped his home on
North Folk Rd and sheltered himself overnight from the Beachie Creek Fire with a plastic lawn chair on the
Little North Santiam River. BRIAN HAYES / STATESMAN JOURNAL
Man survives
raging wildfires
Shelters on river, fends off
embers with plastic chair
Zach Urness
Salem Statesman Journal
USA TODAY NETWORK
The chair was green and plastic, the kind you might
find in a patio set or along the edge of a creek.
But for one night, Don Myron used it as a shield
from embers of the Beachie Creek Fire, as he sheltered
from raging flames on a rock in the middle of the Little
North Santiam River.
“Everything around me was on fire,” said Myron,
56, who has lived in the Elkhorn Woods community in
the Little North Canyon for the past 11 years. “That
chair helped save my butt.”
Myron’s story is just one coming out of the Little
North Canyon, one of the areas hit hardest during the
Labor Day wildfires.
Much of the Little North has been torched. Four
people in the canyon have been killed. A majority of
homes in the Elkhorn community area have been de-
stroyed.
Myron's story helps explain why. Trapped in the
canyon by downed trees and flames roaring on 70
mph winds, he survived with a combination of guile
and luck, finding an ideal rock in the middle of the riv-
er where he could stay until the worst of the firestorm
passed.
"If there's anybody who can survive that situation,
it's my dad," said Chris Myron, Don's son. "He's smart,
can think on his feet and is very resourceful."
A getaway from the city
For years, Myron lived in Tigard and commuted to
Salem where he worked for the Office of Private
Health Partnerships.
Once his two sons graduated and moved out, he
was ready to escape the city life. He’d never been up
the Little North Fork previously, but loved it from the
See SURVIVE, Page 3A
Salem to get new career tech school
Willamette Career Academy
expected to open in fall of 2021
Natalie Pate
Salem Statesman Journal
USA TODAY NETWORK
Design work is underway at the former Toys R Us
building on Lancaster Drive in Salem, soon to become
Oregon’s newest career and technical education cen-
ter.
The Willamette Career Academy will establish re-
gional partnerships and provide hands-on education
needed for jobs in local workforces, similar to Salem-
Keizer’s Career Technical Education Center, known as
CTEC.
Cosmetology, diesel mechanics and health ser-
vices are among offerings expected in the initial year
— opening fall 2021 — with programs such as con-
struction and information technology to be added in
2022.
In the first year, the school will serve nearly 300
students from 11 districts across Marion, Polk and
Yamhill counties, and grow to about 600 students in
year two.
The idea and initial funding for the center resulted
from a private-public partnership between Mountain
West Investment Corporation, a Salem real estate de-
velopment company, and the Willamette Education
Service District, or WESD.
Mountain West also supports and helped create
Salem-Keizer Public Schools’ CTEC.
As reported last year, the total capital project bud-
get for CTEC was $17 million, with Mountain West
contributing $9 million, and $8 million given from the
public sector, foundations, individuals and business-
es.
“Smaller rural districts often can’t provide the op-
tions of programs we are planning to offer,” Michael
News updates: h Breaking news h Get updates from
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Photos: h Photo galleries
See SANTIAM CANYON, Page 2A
See CAREER, Page 3A
Vol. 139, No. 40
Online at SilvertonAppeal.com
After Cindy and Brian Chauran’s house in Gates
burned down in the Santiam Fire, a family member
started an online fundraiser to help and it quickly
raised $1,800.
They have insurance on their home and recre-
ational vehicles to stay in, but the Chaurans wanted
to do something for their community.
Cindy coordinated with the Santiam Service Inte-
gration Team and in days established the Santiam
Canyon Wildfire Relief Fund under that umbrella or-
ganization and put those donations toward the fund.
In four days, that fund has raised $100,000 for
Santiam Canyon residents including those in Gates,
Mill City, Lyons, Mehama, Detroit and Idanha im-
pacted by the wildfires.
“They weren’t overwhelmed in the moment by
their immediate loss,” said Deana Freres, a neighbor
of Chauran and a board member administrating the
fund.
Santiam Hospital’s SIT was established in 2017
and for the past six months has done things like
bringing people prescription medications and gro-
ceries during the early months of the COVID-19 pan-
demic.
“This model afforded us the opportunity to be mo-
bile,” said Maggie Hudson, director of operations and
finance of Santiam Hospital.
The existing structure through Santiam Hospital
allows the funds to fall under the existing 501(c)3
non-profit status, and the hospital is taking on any
administrative costs associated with the funds.
Freres said the SIT is focusing on meeting the im-
mediate needs of evacuees, including short-term
housing, food and clothing for those who were forced
to evacuate before moving on to longer-term recov-
ery efforts.
“We’ve had hundreds of inquiries,” Hudson said.
“Hopefully those who have lost their homes are in-
sured and it fills that void. We want to get to the re-
build and help facilitate that.”
Chauran is one of the board members along with
people involved with schools, financial institutions
and non-profits in the area.
Hudson said the fund raised $100,000 as of Mon-
day, including a $30,000 donation from Saalfeld
Griggs Law Firm in Salem where the staff donated
money and the firm matched the donations. The
Foothills Church in Stayton also donated $10,000.
“We really wanted to be sure if we’re asking people
to support our area, we want to be staunch stewards
to make sure the fund goes to individuals and fam-
ilies that are vetted across many services and they
get wraparound services,” Freres said.
“It’s not just come pick up a package of diapers,
it’s, 'Do you need counseling and PTSD from having
lost your home? Do you have gas money for your
car?'”
Some who have been placed in short-term hotels
have already exhausted their funding from the Red
Cross for their stays, Freres said.
She said after meeting immediate needs of the
evacuees, the next phase will focus on longer-term
recovery efforts.
“IWhat’s wonderful is to see when small towns
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Kraig Arndt of Mill City takes photos of a friend’s
home that burned to the ground during the
Santiam Fire on Wednesday in Mill City.
ABIGAIL DOLLINS / STATESMAN JOURNAL