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About Wallowa County chieftain. (Enterprise, Wallowa County, Or.) 1943-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 28, 2020)
LOCAL Wallowa.com Wednesday, October 28, 2020 A15 Wallowa Unit Forester Howard directs response to blaze helicopters and heavy retardant. “That was a big help,” Howard said. “We had a real strong showing from the local industrial logging operators, who put 44 pieces of heavy equipment on the fire.” Still, fire closed U.S. Highway 97, a critical north- south thoroughfare, for at least a day. The 242 Fire destroyed eight major structures, 37 outbuildings and damaged another 170 buildings, How- ard said. Howard spent two weeks on the fire, and his concerns about fire in the urban-wild- land interface in Wallowa County have only grown. “There’s nothing nor- mal about fighting fires in Matt Howard served as deputy incident commander on 242 Fire By ELLEN MORRIS BISHOP For the Wallowa County Chieftain WALLOWA — In any other year, a 14,763-acre forest fire would be consid- ered a major conflagration. But by 2020 stan- dards, the 242 Fire, north of Klamath Falls, was small, and Howard Wa l l o w a Unit For- ester Matt Howard of the Oregon Department of For- estry was happy that he and the multiple crews he directed could keep it that way. “We’re fortunate so far this summer that we hav- en’t had a fire (in Wallowa County) yet, like those expe- rienced on the west side of the state,” Howard said. “The facts are plainly in everybody’s face. I’m hop- ing that people here will take action in and around their homes and make life- style changes that are going to help them out when — not if — the fire comes to their doorstep.” Howard, who formerly served as the ODF fire-con- trol officer in Wallowa, was called up to be the dep- uty incident commander of ODF Incident Management Team 2, which put him sec- ond in command of the blaze that broke out Sept. 7 north of near Chiloquin. By the time it was contained Sept. 22, more than 300 firefight- ers, including groups from the Klamath Indian Reserva- tion, Chiloquin Fire Depart- ment, Oregon Department the urban interface in and around homes. Dealing with the human factor and the evacuations brings a lot of complexity that we don’t have out in a timbered set- ting,” he said. Howard said all he can do is provide information about fires, but ultimately it is up to residents whether to heed it. “I’ve been doing this for 34 years, and I’ve come to the conclusion that I can only try to give people the information (about fire) and they have to process it and believe in it,” he said. “They have to believe in fire pre- vention and taking mitiga- tion measures around their homes and in their com- munities. It’s not if, it’s when a fire will affect your community.” Get All Your Needs Met! Evan Wright/Fremont-Winema National Forest Heating & Cooling Bulk Fuel & Propane Propane stoves & heat for home/office Expertly installed heating systems Even distribution of heat Bulk farm fuel Residential propane heating fuel Bulk diesel, gas & propane Air conditioning units to keep your home/office comfortable in summer A Chiloquin Fire and Rescue truck is framed by the glow of fire in the near distance in this image from the 242 Fire, taken Sept. 7, 2020, outside Chiloquin. of Forestry, U.S. Forest Ser- vice and the National Guard, were battling the flames. “It’s a small number of firefighters for a fire of that size,” Howard said. “But because of everything that was going on, that’s all we could muster. It’s pretty dry country down there.” The 242 Fire started along U.S. Highway 97 near Collier State Park. It was human-caused, but still is under investigation, How- ard said. It burned mostly in Ponderosa pine, sage- brush and bitterbrush. Wind pushed the fire through Col- lier State Park and several subdivisions. “About three-quarters of it was a stand-replacement fire,” Howard said. “It was headed toward (the town of) Chiloquin. Through the course of the fire, we evac- uated a few thousand people and about 330 homes. But firefighters were able to keep it out of the town of Chilo- quin. ” Smoke from the larger fires to the north and south was light enough to allow air support, which included One Call Does It All! Equipment Sales, Installation & Service Call Wallowa County Grain Growers Today! 541-426-3116 Heating/cooling: x 1201 Bulk fuel/propane: x 1235 WALLOWA COUNTY GRAIN GROWERS A farmer-owned coop serving the people of Wallowa County since 1944 911 South River St Enterprise, Oregon 541-426-3116 M-F 8AM-5:30PM • SAT 8AM-5PM • SUN 9AM-3PM SAVE $60 tools of the trade ƒ * 18" bar† ms 250 299 95 $ CHAIN SAW real stihl. find yourS. *Built in the United States from domestic and foreign parts and components. 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