Caused by lightning; merged with the Beachie Creek Fire on September 8; the combined fires were briefly renamed Santiam Fire, 280 structures destroyed, 10 injuries. Authorities pleaded with residents to ignore the rumors. The Jackson County Sheriff's office says the suspect is Michael Jarrod Bakkela, a . It starts near a populated area, and the wind direction aligns perfectly with the valley, quickly pushing the flames along. The hot and dry weather conditions continue to hurt firefighting efforts, and the flames reach the town of Talent by the afternoon. . The witnesses had fled their home "due to the impending fire," the sheriff's office said. Me, my wife, my daughter and my youngest, we sleep in the big bed. My kids make friends with some pretty good kids. Thousands of homes were destroyed last year in the Almeda Fire Oregons most destructive in years. When I'm not making maps, I'm using them to find new rivers to fish and places to visit. Anyone with information about the Almeda Fire was asked to call Ashland police detective Lindsey Rochon-Evertt at 541-482-5211. That afternoon, the South Obenchain Fire, near Eagle Point and Butte in Jackson County, burned another 33 homes and dozens of other buildings. "The residents can't go back to their house and sleep," Ashley says. We make around $2,000 a month. Martin and Maricela Rocha work at the Rogue Creamery, just across the street from where they are staying. Afterward, they were bouncing us back and forth between hotels. What's known, according to police, is that the fire started in a dry field along Almeda Street. I expanded the sliding doors so there was more light. The fire began that Bakkela caused occurred after he tried to drive a truck onto railroad tracks, officials said. The Almeda Drive Fire was the perfect storm. My plan was, with what FEMA gave us, to buy the property. The bald eagles were seen . READ: Ashland Restaurant Is The 'Glue' For A Latino Community Hard-Hit By Wildfires. It has a little kitchen, one room, a living room and a restroom. Despite their efforts, the investigation is still "open and ongoing with detectives from APD and JCSO following new leads, exhausting old ones and remaining dedicated to solving the case," the release stated. New York Times open-source video investigations, How an Oregon Wildfire Became One of the Most Destructive. I try not to make my family feel sad. By total chance, that direction will take the flames along two highways that cross through three adjacent towns. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? The R.V.s have showers but its for emergencies because its a small space. Melissa Brown, 80, has lived by herself throughout most of her adult life. August 3, 2020. The fire has been officially named the Glendower fire, but has also been referred to as the Almeda fire, because it started near Glendower Street & Almeda Drive in Ashland, Oregon. Become a Sustainer! [10], Rumors spread on social media that antifa activists were deliberately setting fires and preparing to loot property that was being evacuated. The region has been hit hard by the loss of tourism due to the COVID pandemic and the fire is a terrible blow but the community will rebuild so if you ever find yourself passing through southern Oregon consider stopping in for a taco in Phoenix, enjoy the library and parks in Talent, or to see a play in Ashland. I really want to stay. Its late morning on Sept. 8 when the fire starts in an empty field on the northern outskirts of Ashland. But all of the smoke came through the outlets so their whole trailer was filled with smoke. In the western United States, issues of fire and forest management in a changing climate, especially as they relate to federal forest management, have generated controversy for decades. Prosecutors do not believe the two fires merged and that railroad tracks acted as a fire break, Chief Deputy District Attorney Jeremy Markiewicz said. And then in the back of my mind Im still thinking, We dont have a house to go back to. There were 11 of us. In this map tracts with darker purple color have higher rates of poverty. About 24 hours after it started, an estimated 2,350 homes had been left in ashes. "Rumors spread just like wildfire and now our 9-1-1 dispatchers and professional staff are being overrun with requests for information and inquiries on an UNTRUE rumor that 6 Antifa members have . Oregon Live reports Michael Jarrod Bakkela, 41, has been arrested on two counts of arson, 15 counts of criminal mischief and 14 counts of reckless endangerment. Wildfire Took These Families Homes. Some 29 law enforcement investigators, plus two Jackson County deputy district attorneys and four crime analysts, served nine search warrants and interviewed 154 individuals across eight counties in four states, according to the release. We werent. By June, a deeper analysis of Jackson County's response to the fires called on government leaders to create a more coordinated emergency plan. No windows. Everyone there was basically family. park. Afterward, Murdaugh drove to his mother's home in Almeda and made a series of calls and texts in what Waters said was an attempt to manufacture an alibi. While VIIRS typically collects several views of mid latitudes per day, the fire burned so quickly that we only get three snapshots as the fire burned. The 2020 Oregon wildfire season was one of the most destructive on record in the state of Oregon. Officials said the fire started Monday and strong winds pushed it quickly west, causing it to advance about 10 miles over the span of 30 hours. The area is popular with retirees and is home to the hardworking people who are the foundation of the regional tourism industry and provide the labor needed in the pear orchards and vineyards. A news release issued by the Ashland Police Department two days before the anniversary of the devastating Almeda Fire started within Ashland city limits before ripping north along the Bear Creek Greenway through Talent and Phoenix, destroying thousands of structures and claiming three lives, lays out some of the efforts taken to determine its ultimate cause, but says the case remains open. He was charged Friday afternoon in connection with the Almeda Fire. Every day, Id wake up and water my garden, pick up eggs, feed my chickens. We had paid $1,000 and were making $100 payments on top of our rent. With our state and local partners, the FBI has investigated several such reports and found them to be untrue," the agency said in a statement. [4][5][6] In the Almeda Fire area between Ashland, Talent, and Phoenix more than 2,800 structures were destroyed. Findings revealed there was poor communication between county emergency management and city leaders, creating a gap of understanding about what was happening on the ground. All my familys here. Local jurisdictions, the report implies, simply didnt know who was in charge. Robyn Beck / Getty Images A truck covered with fire retardant is seen by the rubble of homes destroyed by the Almeda fire in Talent, Oregon, Sept. 15. From the map below we can see that in a little over 2 hours the fire spread over five miles downwind to the south end of Talent. It was the most destructive wildfire in Oregons recorded history. Michael Jarrod Bakkela, 41, has been charged with two counts of arson for allegedly starting a fire in Phoenix, Ore., that burned dozens of homes to the ground. Local fire agencies and environmentalists say the wildfire risk to Oregon communities is getting higher, and everyone in the Rogue Valley needs to know how to evacuate quickly. A man was arrested on arson charges Friday for allegedly setting a fire earlier this week in southern Oregon, while the region was already beset with the Almeda Fire. I just survived there. Jackson Countys Damage Assessment Dashboard documents the extensive damage. There is no evidence that Bakkela was involved in the ignition of the Almeda Fire, the district attorney's office said. I want to rebuild., We thought we were fine before the fire. A grand jury has indicted a 41-year old man for setting a fire in Phoenix, Oregon on September 8, the day the Almeda Drive Fire started near . Almeda Fire incident report released. We applied for low-income homes. She has tried to help others along the way and remains grateful for those who continue to do the same for her. The Almeda Fire stopped south of Medford, a city of 82,000 residents, when the winds eventually shifted. I dont know what the address is. DeBeys own house was spared by the flames, just barely. I have always made places feel like home. Im looking for a rental, but they are very expensive. ACFD said 21 firefighters were at the scene, and the fire was extinguished within 20 minutes of the first alarm. Ms. Garcia, 39, and her family her husband, three children and five dogs shuffled between hotels for four months until they moved into a FEMA trailer in June. To go looking for a house and not finding anything and not having the money to buy something bigger is really hard. Early the next morning we get one last look at 3:24am where you can see that the fire is no longer showing hot spots on the south end and the north end has cooled as indicated by the smaller symbols. An Oregon man accused of starting a wildfire as another destructive blaze was burning in 2020 was sentenced Monday to 11 years in prison, prosecutors said. Caused by lightning, 1 structure destroyed, 2 injuries, 1 firefighter fatality. Several animals also died . September 2020 a brush fire started in Ashland Oregon went out of hand with strong winds and swept through the next three towns, Talent, Phoenix, and Medford. The Almeda Fire started around 11 a.m., and the second one that Bakkela was accused of starting began around 5 p.m. Bakkela is not accused in the larger, more destructive Almeda Fire. Nearly 20% of the population in the fire area lives in poverty. The FBI has released a statementaddressing social media conspiracies that extremists were starting the fires after being inundated with claims. The incident was observed by a citizen who called 911 and after a short chase on foot the person is in custody. There is "significant damage" that police are attributing to the fire allegedly set by Bakkela, Jackson County Sheriff's Office public information officer Mike Moran told ABC News. A spokeswoman for FEMA declined to comment on individual cases, but said the agency is committed to ensuring survivors get the resources they need to recover. You have to be actively trying to find a place. She doesnt want to leave and lose that too, she said. ET): A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that the fire Michael Bakkela is accused of starting later merged with the larger Almeda Fire. I can close my eyes and see everything around me on fire like that day. They had concerts there. Michael Jarrod Bakkela, 41, was charged with two counts of arson, along with 15 counts of criminal mischief and 14 counts of reckless endangering. The report goes on to say situational awareness can be improved. Some county staff reportedly didnt even know where the Jackson County Emergency Operation Center was or what its role is in a response. The Labor Day fires challenged the Rogue Valley in ways that have often seemed insurmountable, but people here took those challenges head on. For more information on using blending in the Map Viewer Beta to create maps like these see this blog. Home is where families are. When thousands of homes were leveled in Oregon's Almeda fire, I mobilized to get funds into the hands of people who needed it most. We planted strawberries. On Tuesday, residents called 911 after seeing a man light a fire behind their house in Phoenix around 5 p.m. local time, police said. Several large mobile home parks and apartment complexes burned along with many small businesses. Trailers are very expensive. Ott said that both bridges were in the open . I never thought I would be in this situation, but I am hopeful I will find a place. I lost an enormous amount of body conditioning. I know I can start over in another place, but I dont want to run away like a coward and not face my problems. Two weeks after the fire, I turned 80. As a former resident of Talent, I watched with sadness as the news of the fire broke. The comments section is closed. Three small communities lie along the highway: Ashland in the south, home of Southern Oregon University is known for its Shakespeare Festival; Talent, with a pre-fire population of 6,000 tucked in the pear orchards; and Phoenix to the north, is the last small town before arriving in the big city of Medford and home to many working families and a large community of retirees. I take care of hospice patients. But there's still hope in this small forest in which fire offers a new beginning. Vehicles are destroyed by a wildfire that swiftly moved through Maldin, Washington, on Tuesday. The fire scattered families throughout the valley, putting a strain on social life for Heather Spliethofs youngest daughter, Alyssa, in an already isolating year. By Katia Riddle (NPR) Jan. 16, 2022 10:08 a.m. Im thinking, This feels like a normal day, Hays reflected a couple days after the fire. Updated: 2:50 PM CST March 2, 2023. The fire eventually merged with the Almeda Fire, which had started about six hours prior in Phoenix, police said. Michael Bakkela, 43, was accused of setting a second fire as the Almeda Fire was raging in southern Oregon on Sept. 8, 2020. When Oregon State Police troopers and Jackson County Sheriff's Office deputies arrived, Bakkela "was standing close to a very large fire threatening several homes," the sheriff's office alleged. My life is here. We tried our best and then heard back, No. It knocked us down all the way straight to zero. However, the Jackson County Sheriff's Office has maintained that the case is considered separate from the Almeda Fire's origin. ASHLAND, Ore. - Crews are tackling a fast-moving fire that started in the City of Ashland, burned through Talent, Phoenix, and into parts of Medford. new video loaded: How an Oregon Wildfire Became One of the Most Destructive. County EOC responders were challenged to gather situational awareness in the early hours of the fire incidents, the report stated. In southern Oregon where federal agencies including the US Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, and US Fish and Wildlife Service manage significant portions of the landscape questions of ownership and management often arise when talking about fire.

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