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THESIUSLAWNEWS.COM | SATURDAY EDITION | AUGUST 21, 2021 | $1.00
August 21, 2021
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INSIDE
Siuslaw News
2-Alarm fire at Dairy Queen
leaves interior ‘a total loss’
Siuslaw News
NEWS &
VIEWS THAT
DEFINE OUR
COMMUNITY
VOL. 131, NO. 67
A UGUST 21, 2021
F LORENCE , O REGON
WEATHER
Partly cloudy
with a high of 66
and a low of 52.
Full forecast on A3
SVFR,
WLAD
respond
to early
morning
fire
Aug. 18
COMMUNITY
Supplemental
Information & Photo
By Mark Brennan
Siuslaw News
Take photos in and
around Florence
INSIDE — A3
SPORTS
Dairy Queen, 125 Highway 101 in Florence, was destroyed by an overnight fire on
Wednesday. Fire and EMS crews arrived quickly on the scene, but the fire blazed
through the restaurant. The fire is currently under investigation by Siuslaw Valley Fire.
S
Football utilizes
offseason
INSIDE — B
RECORDS
Obituaries &
emergency
response logs
Inside — A2
SIDE SHOW
Activities and
comics every
Saturday
Inside — B4
iuslaw Valley Fire and
Rescue (SVFR) and
Western Lane Ambu-
lance District (WLAD) were
notified of a structure fire at
1:28 a.m. Wednesday morn-
ing in the area of Highway 101
and Rhododendron Drive.
Florence Police Officers soon
reported an updated location
as the Dairy Queen restau-
rant at 125 Highway 101.
A WLAD ambulance crew
first on scene reported flames
coming from the roof of the
building and a second alarm
was immediately requested.
“The fire was very ad-
vanced upon our arrival, and
we went to a defensive fire
position immediately,” re-
Florence City
Council resumes
virtual meetings
CLASSIFIEDS
Listings and public
notices
Inside — B5
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ported Fire/EMS Chief Mi-
chael Schick.
Two fire engines, one wa-
ter tender, a rescue truck, a
ladder truck and two am-
bulances responded to the
fire. Responding person-
nel included 14 firefighters
from SVFR and four WLAD
personnel. Also assisting
were the Reedsport Fire De-
partment, Central Lincoln
PUD, City of Florence Public
Works and Florence Police
Officers. Florence Public
Works personnel were re-
quested to help mitigate the
large amount of water runoff
as a result of firefighting ac-
tivity.
With fire extending to the
S IUSLAW N EWS
2 S ECTIONS | 18 P AGES
C OPYRIGHT 2021
The Florence City Council met
on Monday, returning to a virtual
format as COVID restrictions were
reimplemented statewide by Oregon
Gov. Brown on Aug. 13.
The agenda for the meeting was
primarily focused on multiple re-
quests from local property owners
to have their land incorporated into
the city limits.
A work session for the council ini-
tially planned for Monday morning
was canceled, as were this month’s
meetings for the Transportation Ad-
visory Committee and the Environ-
mental Advisory Committee.
See COUNCIL page 6A
N ORTH F ORK A CREAGE
roof, it was deemed to be too
dangerous to put crews inside
the building, so firefighters
attacked the fire from the ex-
terior.
The fire was declared out
at approximately 3:30 a.m.
The interior of the restaurant
received extensive damage
from the fire and is consid-
ered to be a total loss.
No one was in the restau-
rant at the time of the fire,
with cleaning crews reported
to have left the building ap-
proximately one hour prior to
the fire. No emergency per-
sonnel reported any injuries
on scene.
See FIRE page 5A
‘As of today, more than a quarter-million
Oregonians have contracted COVID-19’
Oregon continues to tally more
than 2,000 new confirmed and pre-
sumptive cases of COVID-19 each
day.
“As of today, more than a quar-
ter-million Oregonians have con-
tracted COVID-19,” reported the
Oregon Health Authority (OHA)
on Friday.
In a press conference on Aug. 19,
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown, State Ep-
idemiologist Dr. Dean Sidelinger,
OHA Director Patrick Allen and
other state officials talked about
the state of COVID-10 in Oregon.
“The grip of the Delta variant is
tightening, and without a concert-
ed effort by all Oregonians over
the next several weeks to wear
masks and get vaccinated, we risk
being swamped by the rapidly ris-
ing tide of infections in our com-
munities,” Sidelinger said. “Over
the past week, daily cases and
COVID-19-related
hospitaliza-
tions have continued an alarming
ascent — regularly setting new
pandemic highs — far beyond what
G REENTREES M OVE -I N R EADY
B RAND N EW B EACH A REA H OME
Officials continue to
urge vaccinations as
hospitals near
capacity
By Chantelle Meyer
Siuslaw News
W OAHINK L AKEFRONT
we experienced in previous surges.”
Locally, zip code 97439’s two-
week total is 44 new cases, with
a total of 382 cases of COVID-19
since the beginning of the pan-
demic. This is out of a population
of 14,343. Neighboring zip codes
— 97441, 97453, 97490 and 97493
— with fewer than 1,000 people do
not have separate listings, but are
included in the state’s aggregate
count.
As of Aug. 19, Lane County
has had a total of 18,356 cases of
COVID-19. Currently, there are
110 people hospitalized in the
county from the virus, with 65 of
those Lane County residents.
See COVID page 6A
COAST REAL ESTATE
90187 UPPER NORTH FORK
North Fork, East of Florence is a beautiful hidden gem. Enjoy
wildlife and mountain views from a covered wrap around porch.
Come tour this well built custom home that is guaranteed to
amaze. There are 2 kitchens in this roomy custom home that
makes this space a possible separate living area.
$630,000 #12241 MLS# 21692478
83879 HIGHWAY 101
Pristine Woahink Lakefront home w/easy lake access and new
boat dock. Warm and inviting home w/ well thought out floor
plan. Spacious living room w/ propane fireplace, slider to deck.
Kitchen is designed to please any cook w/ custom cabinets, tile
counters, gas cook top. Primary suite has a large closet, two
person tub, and shower. Custom hardwood floors, vaulted
ceilings and a custom gas masonry fireplace in the living room.
Significant recent updating! Don’t pass up this pristine home.
$699,000 #12182 MLS#21612624
1600 RHODODENDRON #291
Come and see the very modern updates to this comfortable
home, located in Greentrees Village, a very desirable 55+ gated
community. Very private with beautiful landscaping and decks
to enjoy off the living area and main bedroom. Beautifully
updated kitchen with quartz countertops and stainless steel
appliances. Flooring, paint, and windows have all been updated
recently. There is also a shed for additional storage. Covered
parking under carport.
$215,000 #12238 MLS# 21408704
4319 N. RHODODENDRON
Brand new Pacific Northwest style 1-level home close to beach
and recreational areas. Soaring vaulted ceilings in main living
area, covered private back patio (pre-wired for hot tub), granite
and SS kitchen, large master suite with walk-in closet. All 1 level
with no steps. Finished garage. Low maintenance landscaping.
Quality throughout. Make this new home yours today!
$514,900 #12161 MLS# 21450495
541-997-7777
“We’re next to the Bridge”
100 Hwy. 101
See all Florence Listings at
cbcoast.com