Eight-hundred feet in either direction, and Friday's oil train derailment outside the small Columbia River Gorge city of Mosier might've sent flaming tank cars into a lake in a National Scenic Area.
A half-mile east, and the inferno would've burned a few feet beneath a block of modular homes. Another mile-and-a-half, and leaking tank cars would've landed on the bank of the Columbia River during peak spring chinook salmon migration.
Seven miles west, and flames would've licked the back of the Full Sail Brewing Co. in Hood River. Further yet, and Multnomah Falls tourists could've watched the smoke plume from atop the Benson Footbridge. Fairview residents could've felt the heat from their homes.
With the fire out and the recovery and damage assessment beginning Saturday, one thing was obvious.
The Pacific Northwest got lucky.