The Columbia Press
August 28, 2020
5
Clatsop County firefighters help battle California wildfires
The Columbia Press
Firefighters from Clatsop
County and throughout Ore-
gon were in Napa Valley, Ca-
lif., this week, assisting with
the LNU Lightning Complex
fire.
Warrenton sent one of its
trucks and three people, Divi-
sion Chief Scott Watson and
firefighters Mark Gardner
and John Sleutel. The con-
tingent is working 24-hour
shifts, Warrenton Fire Chief
Brian Alsbury said.
Other personnel came from
Knappa, Astoria, Lewis &
Clark, Gearhart and Seaside.
Seaside Fire & Rescue sent
a brush truck with its con-
tingent, which was struck by
a falling tree while the team
was driving through the fire
area Saturday morning.
There were no injuries, but
the vehicle was taken out of
service and will be assessed
for damages.
“The light bar probably
Biz & Development
Renovated laundry
Owners of Marlin Avenue
Coin Laundry recently refur-
bished the laundromat at 570
S.E. Marlin Ave.
Carpeting was removed and
new washers and driers have
replaced aging equipment. In
addition, there is a coin-chang-
ing system that allows pay-
ment by credit card, and staff
on duty in the lobby.
Side Road sidelined
Owners of Side Road Café
have closed their eatery on
Marlin Avenue.
“Today we laid to rest our little
café,” Amyleigh Sutton wrote re-
cently on the Facebook page for
the business she owns with part-
ner Tom Elston. “… I am still in
limbo as to what the future holds
for the Side Road Café.”
The bakery-coffee house-
pub, which opened in May
2019, went dark in March as
the pandemic hit.
Above: The multiagen-
cy task force from Clat-
sop County prepares
to head to California on
Aug. 19.
Left: A photo of the
shattered windshield on
Seaside’s brush truck.
three hours later.
Initially they were assigned
to the Wallbridge Fire, pro-
tecting a winery, a marina,
and chasing spot fires.
The LNU Lightning Com-
plex fire is a series of fires be-
tween Sacramento and Santa
Rosa. By Wednesday, it had
grown to 357,046 acres and
was 33 percent contained.
The deployment is the
fourth year in a row that the
state fire marshal has mobi-
lized task forces through a
regionwide compact.
Late last year, 15 strike
teams were sent to multiple
fires in Northern California,
including the Burris Fire in
Mendocino County, the Kin-
cade Fire in Sonoma County
and the Ranch Fire in Teha-
ma County.
Photos courtesy Office of
the State Fire Marshal and
Seaside Fire & Rescue
saved us from injury and pre-
vented the tree from going
through the cab roof,” Engine
Boss Katie Bulletset said.
The State Fire Marshal
deployed 86 Oregon fire-
fighters. The Clatsop County
firefighters left Aug. 19 as Or-
egon Task Force 9 with task
forces from Linn, Marion,
Lane and Klamath counties
after California requested as-
sistance with its catastrophic
wildfires.
The group arrived at the
fire camp at the Napa Coun-
ty Fairgrounds at 4 a.m. Aug.
20 and was on the fire lines
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