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Fire, mudslide force out Pendleton residents
By PHIIL WRIGHT AND
ANTONIO SIERRA
East Oregonian
PENDLETON — Firefi ghters in
Pendleton on Saturday afternoon,
Jan. 8, wrapped up work at a house
fi re only to head to a mudslide that
damaged two other houses.
There were no reports of inju-
ries in either emergency, both on
the town’s South Hill, but they
displaced families.
The fire occurred at the two
story house at 809 S.W. Sixth St.
The report about the fi re came in
at 2:41 p.m., Pendleton Fire Chief
Jim Critchley said, and crews were
on the scene at 2:45 p.m. Pilot Rock
Rural Fire Protection District and
Umatilla Tribal Fire Department
also responded, and the fi re was out
Ben Lonergan/East Oregonian
Pendleton fi refi ghters on Saturday, Jan. 8, 2022, work to gain access to
the roof of the home burning at 809 S.W. Sixth St., Pendleton.
COVID-19
at 3:23 p.m.
The fi re appears to have started
in a bedroom, he said, and caused
approximately $100,000 in damage
to the house, which was a rental
home to two families living in sepa-
rate ends of the structure.
Critchley said the landlord paid
for the occupants to stay at a hotel
and the cause of the fi re is under
investigation.
Marissa Winterton lived in the
duplex that caught fi re. Winterton
said the fi re originated from the
other unit and she didn’t know the
house was on fi re until her neighbor
knocked on her door.
Winterton shared the unit with
her fi ance and their four children.
The eldest three children were out
of the house at the time, but Winter-
ton was at home cleaning the house
while her fi ance was putting down
their baby for a nap.
Winterton initially didn’t under-
stand why her neighbor was knock-
ing so urgently, she said, but after
answering the door, it didn’t take
long for her to realize their home
was engulfed. Winterton said her
children’s rooms were heavily
damaged, and although she intends
to return to the apartment to try to
salvage some of the family’s posses-
sions, she anticipated whatever
wasn’t directly damaged by fi re or
water will probably be aff ected by
the smoke.
Winterton said her neighbor
suspects the cause of the fi re might
be a faulty outlet, but Winterton
wants to follow-up with the Pend-
See Damage, Page A9
HERMISTON WARMING STATION
Oregon Capitol
to remain open
for next session
Committee
meetings, public
testimony continue
in virtual format
By SAM STITES
Oregon Public Broadcasting
SALEM — The Oregon Capi-
tol will remain open to the public
when lawmakers convene Feb. 1 for
a monthlong session.
In a joint statement Monday, Jan.
10, Senate President Peter Court-
ney and House Speaker Tina Kotek
announced while all legislative
committee meetings during the
upcoming 2022 session will take
place virtually, the public will be
allowed in the building.
Kotek and Courtney issued a
statement last week expressing
concern over the omicron variant
of COVID-19 and troubling projec-
tions by doctors at Oregon Health &
Science University. The two presid-
ing offi cers of the Oregon Legisla-
ture clarifi ed their stance Jan. 10.
“We are committed to ensuring
the legislative process is accessi-
ble and safe during the upcoming
session,” the statement said. “The
recent wave of cases and hospital-
izations due to the omicron vari-
ant is concerning. After speaking
directly with OHSU infectious
disease doctors and public health
offi cials, we decided to move our
committees to a virtual format.”
Oregonians will be able to enter
the Capitol during regular business
hours and may watch legislative
proceedings from the galleries of
either chamber located on the third
fl oor.
See Omicron, Page A9
Ben Lonergan/East Oregonian
Marie Gonzalez, right, talks with volunteer Brodie Messenger, on Saturday, Jan. 8, 2022, while settling into the Hermiston Warming Station
for the night.
Refuge from the cold
Guests at warming station address homelessness
By ERICK PETERSON
East Oregonian
H
ERMISTON — When
Sierra Gilman was
homeless, she did not
know of the Hermis-
ton Warming Station, but she said
she wished she had.
She worked her fi rst day as a
volunteer at the station on Satur-
day, Jan. 8. In this capacity, she
checked in people as they sought
refuge from the elements. She
and others at the warming station
spoke of life on the streets and
their gratitude for this service.
Starting at 7:30 p.m., people
who would otherwise be sleeping
on the streets in the cold checked
into the Hermiston Warming
Station, 1075 S. Highway 395.
The station opens every year as
the weather becomes cold. Come
morning, the guests of the station
leave to resume their homeless-
ness.
Gilman, 27, of Hermiston,
said she learned of this volunteer
opportunity last year. Her friends
Ben Lonergan/East Oregonian
Guests rest on the beds at the Hermiston Warming Station in the ear-
ly hours of the evening Saturday, Jan. 8, 2022.
at her church — she is a member
of The Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints — told her of
the warming station. Now sober
and free of drugs, she said she
fi nally felt able to help out at the
building.
Her training included a 30 to
ST. ANTHONY HOISPITAL &
OREGON HEALTH AUTHORITY
NO APPOINTMENT
NEEDED.
ESTIMATED RESULTS
IN 3-5 DAYS
40 minute session to learn the
rules. Among other things, guests
must turn over their possessions
and store belongings in a plastic
tote. They also must maintain a
clean environment and a respect-
ful tone with others.
In trade for following the
EVERY WEDNESDAY
IN JANURARY 2022
11AM-1PM
ST. ANTHONY HOSPITAL
2801 ST ANTHONY WAY - PENDLETON
rules, guests have access to cots,
where they sleep throughout the
night. Also, they are provided
with food and hygiene supplies.
In addition, they can use washing
machines and a shower. Volun-
teers stand ready to meet the
needs of guests.
Gilman remembered back
to her three to four years living
without a home. She was addicted
to drugs, she said, and she lived
under the stars. She would camp
on a space off Theater Lane in
Hermiston. Hiding away, among
trees, she was able to get rest.
It was a trying time, though
she accepts responsibility for
her troubles. She said she was
making bad decisions, which
included her drug use. Despite
trying several times to correct her
problems, she said she lacked the
strength to turn her life around.
It was not until her sister died,
she said, that she fi nally experi-
enced an epiphany, and she had
a “God moment.” Suddenly, she
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