The person of the year for 2018 is not an individual but the group of hardy people who had the back-breaking job of fighting wildfires in Oregon this year.
A few weeks ago, The Oregonian/OregonLive asked readers to vote from among 10 candidates to decide Oregon’s Person of the Year. More than 2,700 votes were cast, and “Oregon firefighters” won overwhelmingly with more than 34 percent of votes. They far outpaced the runner-up, philanthropist and Trail Blazer owner Paul Allen, who died in October. Chris Labelle calls the work rewarding but scary at times -- and certainly challenging. He spent 35 days fighting wildfires this summer.
“That’s a long time to be away from your family,” said Labelle, a second-generation firefighter.