A2 THE BULLETIN • THURSDAY, JULY 28, 2022
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LOCAL, STATE & REGION
Heat wave forecast extended
Power cord sparks fire in northeast Bend
Temps expected to
reach 101-102 in Bend
through Saturday
BY CLAIRE RUSH
Associated Press/Report for America
The scorching heat spell in the
Pacific Northwest is now expected
to last longer than forecasters had
initially predicted, setting parts of
the normally temperate region on
course to break heat wave dura-
tion records.
As temperatures hit a daily re-
cord 102 degrees Fahrenheit in
Portland on Tuesday, the National
Weather Service extended the ex-
cessive heat warning for the city
from Thursday through Saturday
evening. The same warning was
also extended in Central Oregon
until 11 p.m. Saturday.
“For the next several days
through Saturday we’re going to
be within a few degrees of 100
every day,” said Colby Neuman,
a meteorologist for the National
Weather Service in Portland.
Temperatures are forecast to soar
to 101 again on Friday.
The agency’s forecast predicts
high temperatures of 101-102 de-
grees through Saturday. Tempera-
tures had reached 102 at Bend
Municipal Airport as of 4:15 p.m.
Wednesday, according to prelim-
inary data from the weather ser-
vice. They hit the same tempera-
ture on Tuesday, the data shows.
Beth Nakamura/The Oregonian
Judy and Merlyn Webber sit out in front of their home at Mobile Estates in
Portland on Tuesday. Merlyn Webber said he misplaced the tools to fix his fan.
The duration of the heat wave
puts Portland “in the running”
for tying its longest streak of six
consecutive days of 95 degrees or
higher, Neuman said.
Climate change is fueling lon-
ger heat waves in the Pacific
Northwest, a region where week-
long heat spells were historically
rare, according to climate experts.
Elsewhere, Seattle on Tuesday
also reported a new record daily
high of 94 Fahrenheit. The heat
spell was forecast to last into Satur-
day in Western Washington as well.
Multnomah County, which in-
cludes Portland, said there has
been an uptick in the number of
people calling emergency services
numbers and visiting emergency
departments for heat-related
symptoms.
“Emergency medical services
responded to 361 calls Tuesday,
about 25% higher than a typical
summer day,” Multnomah County
said in a statement, adding that
“13 of those were heat-related.”
Emergency department vis-
its “have remained elevated since
Sunday,” the statement said. “In
the past three days, hospitals have
treated 13 people for heat illness,
when they would normally expect
to see two or three.”
People working or exercising
outside, along with older people,
were among those taken to emer-
gency departments, the statement
added.
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Threats lead state to nix fire risk meetings
BY DAVID SMIGELSKI
Mail Tribune (Medford)
Threats of violence prompted
state officials Tuesday to cancel
a public meeting in Grants Pass
addressing Oregon’s new fire risk
map while the meeting scheduled
in Medford moved online.
“Shortly after we announced
the meetings, there was a phone
message in Grants Pass threaten-
ing violence,” said Derek Gasper-
ini, public affairs officer for the
Oregon Department of Forestry.
“The police looked into it and
considered it concerning, so we
decided to cancel the meeting out
of an abundance of caution.”
Gasperini declined to provide
specifics about the type of vio-
lence that was threatened, based
on advice from law enforcement.
“Because people involved in
the meetings are members of the
community, we have been asked
to be vague about the details of the
threat,” he said. “But we under-
stand the public’s need for infor-
mation, so we intend to return to
the community as soon as we can.”
The fire map, and meetings
about it, were spurred by Senate
Bill 762, which was passed in the
wake of the deadly fires in 2020.
The searchable map shows the
wildfire risk of properties across
the state. Anyone can plug in an
address and see where the prop-
erty falls on a risk spectrum. The
map is a collaboration that in-
volved ODF, the U.S. Forest Ser-
vice and Oregon State University
as part of SB 762. That bill, passed
during the 2021 legislative session,
ordered state agencies to under-
LOCAL & STATE BRIEFING
Bend Fire & Rescue responded to a garage fire
Tuesday afternoon on NE Seward Avenue appar-
ently sparked by a power cord.
After an electrical malfunction, the homeown-
ers found their garage full of smoke and called 911,
the fire department said in a news release Tuesday.
Firefighters put out the blaze, which had spread to
the attic, soon after arriving at the house.
Upon investigation, firefighters found the fire
was started because of a power cord leading from
a camper parked next to the house. The home-
owners were using the camper’s air conditioning
to keep cool, and it was determined the cord to
power the camper had failed in the garage and
started the fire, the release said.
The cord used was too small to handle the
power coming from the air conditioner in the
camper. However, it is unknown if the cord failed
because of the power draw or if it had been dam-
aged prior, the release added.
The fire department reminded the public to
make sure extension cords are used properly.
Ensure the size and amperage limits of the cord
match the usage, and that the cord is not pinched,
trapped or damaged in any way, as this damage
can lead to a fire or short.
Only use one cord between the appliance and
the outlet to reduce the chance of failure, the fire
department added.
Volunteers sought for water sampling
in Whychus Creek next month
The Upper Deschutes Watershed Council is or-
ganizing two days of water sampling on Whychus
Creek to improve its data on benthic macroin-
vertebrates. Collection will take place 8:30 a.m. to
4 p.m. Aug. 11-12, and volunteers are welcome.
The collection of insects including mayflies and
stoneflies will help researchers better understand
the health of Whychus Creek. The information
gathered may assist in the reintroduction of steel-
head and salmon.
Volunteers interested in joining the water sam-
pling effort can do so by visiting the Upper De-
schutes Watershed Council website (upperde-
schuteswatershedcouncil.org). Volunteers are
advised to come prepared with a hat and sun pro-
tection, a water bottle and snacks.
Questions about the water sampling project can
be directed to Lauren Mork: lmork@restorethede-
schutes.org.
The Upper Deschutes Watershed Council is
also hosting a cleanup of the Deschutes River at
six locations on Saturday. Volunteer positions have
filled up at five of the locations, but as of Wednes-
day space was still available to join the effort at
La Pine State Park. Registration is also through
eventbrite.com. Type Deschutes River Cleanup in
the search box.
COVID hospitalizations fall in Oregon
State of Oregon/Oregon Explorer
This view of the state’s new map broadly shows the wildfire risk for all of
Crook, Deschutes and Jefferson counties. The state breaks down the risk lev-
els into five categories: Dark green: no risk. Light green: low risk. Yellow: mod-
erate risk. Orange: high risk. Red: extreme risk.
Local map meeting
The Oregon Department of For-
estry has planned information
sessions around the state to
explain the state’s new wildfire
risk map. A meeting in Central
Oregon is scheduled for 7-8 p.m.
Aug. 10 at the Deschutes County
fairgrounds, 3800 SW Airport
Way, Redmond.
take a slate of proactive measures
to prevent and respond to the
growing threat of wildfires.
State officials knew the new fire
maps, along with new building
codes and other measures that
may be required of property own-
ers in fire-prone areas, would be
controversial, but they didn’t ex-
pect to be physically threatened.
Despite threats, Gasperini said,
ODF plans to reschedule the in-per-
son meetings in southwest Oregon,
possibly the week after next.
Property owners in the high and
extreme risk areas of the new fire
map have received written notice
from ODF indicating their proper-
ty’s risk class and whether it’s in the
wildland-urban interface.
The notices say they may be
subject to future defensible space
or building code requirements
and how to find information
about those requirements.
For more information, visit
the Oregon Department of For-
estry’s wildfire risk webpage,
https://tinyurl.com/bdvemrrt
Hospitals have reported the largest sustained de-
cline in coronavirus hospitalizations since March,
with 64 fewer patients occupying hospital beds
Wednesday than when the current surge peaked
10 days ago at 464 hospitalizations.
Hospital space remains in short supply, however,
with only 8% of intensive care units available for
patients statewide and 7% of regular hospital beds
available.
Health officials warned Oregonians last week
that the hospital system is again facing a crisis, even
though COVID-19 hospitalizations amount to less
than half of what they were during the delta and
omicron surge peaks. The strain on hospitals is
driven at least in part by delays in getting people out
of hospitals, staff burnout and patients coming in
for issues they had left untreated during the worst of
the pandemic.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
has ranked 19 Oregon counties, including Crook,
Deschutes and Jefferson, at high levels of commu-
nity spread. The CDC generally updates levels on
Thursdays. At high levels, health officials recom-
mend that everyone wear masks when in indoor
public places.
Since it began: Oregon has reported 848,046 con-
firmed or presumed infections and 8,061 deaths.
— Bulletin staff and wire reports