15 Portland police cars burned at training facility

VIDEO/PHOTOS: More than a dozen Portland police training vehicles were damaged or destroyed early Thursday morning at a training facility on Northeast Airport Way, authorities said. According to PPB, officers responded to the training facility just before 2 a.m. to help Portland Fire & Rescue. When officers arrived, they said they found 15 vehicles inside the fenced training area burning. The fires were put out and no injuries were reported; however, police say this incident is being investigated as arson. Anyone with information is asked to contact Portland police or call the PF&R Fire Investigation Unit’s tip line.
KOIN-TV NBC 6 Portland

Douglas County community rallies around firefighter battling cancer

Mike Merlino always knew he had a supportive community backing him up. When he stepped out of his pickup truck at the Douglas County Fairgrounds on Tuesday, however, even he was surprised at what he saw. “To see all those people there, I did what anybody else would do and started crying,” Merlino said. He opened his door to a crowd of hundreds of friends, family members and first responders who came to show their support for Merlino in his ongoing battle against cancer. Merlino is a 30-year veteran of local fire departments, including Douglas County Fire District No. 2, Winston-Dillard Fire District and Sutherlin Fire Department, where he currently works as a battalion chief. In Janurary, he was diagnosed with anaplastic thyroid cancer, a rare and aggressive disease.
The News-Review - Metered Site

Klamath Community College gets simulation table for disaster training

Klamath Community College students will now have a new logistical resource to use to train for firefighting, as well as other disasters and emergencies. Thanks to a grant from Green Diamond Resource Company, the college’s Public Safety Regional Training Center has added a computer simulation table which will replicate various types of terrain through computer-generated models. “We greatly appreciate the focus KCC has put on wildfire prevention and suppression with the newly established wildland fire program. We hope our donation will help our communities be more wildfire resistant and resilient,” said Robert Douglas, Timber Resource Analyst at Green Diamond’s Oregon operations. Green Diamond is a sixth-generation, family-owned forest products company that owns and manages working forests in nine states throughout the western and southern U.S.
KOBI-TV NBC 5 Medford

Two injured and three dogs killed in Grants Pass fire

VIDEO: An early morning fire claiming the lives of several dogs in Josephine County. Three Dogs were killed and two people were sent to the hospital after firefighters responded to the Grants Pass fire early Monday morning. Rural Metro Fire, Grants Pass Fire, and AMR Josephine County all responded to reports of a structure fire in the 1000 block of Plum Tree Lane in Grants Pass. When crews arrived on scene just after 2am, one trailer was fully engulfed in flames. A fourth dog was taken into custody by firefighters and sent to animal control. The Oregon State Fire Marshal’s Office has taken over the investigation into what caused the fire. Austn Prince, Rural Metro Fire Operations Chief, says, “We kind of knew when the address was given where we were going because we’ve been there a number of times.
KOBI-TV NBC 5 Medford

State fire marshal wants Oregonians to do more to protect their homes from wildfires

Oregonians are being asked to create more defensible space around their homes, with vegetation modified in that space to reduce wildfire threat and help firefighters defend the house. Climate change is expected to increase both the frequency and intensity of wildfires, according to the U.S. Forest Service. So now, in addition to more dry eastern Oregon wildfires, we’re likely to experience more wildfires in the wetter western part of the state. “Wildfire is not an ‘if,’ but a ‘when,’ living in Oregon,” said Alison Green, a spokeswoman for the Oregon State Fire Marshal. Just as troubling for urban Oregonians is the increase in wildfires reaching cities. About 3,000 homes burned in Oregon communities such as Phoenix, Talent, Detroit and Blue River in 2020. Further afield, towns like Lahaina, Hawaii, and Boulder, Colorado, have also been devastated.
Jefferson Public Radio

Eugene firefighters put out fire likely caused by battery

Firefighters with Eugene Springfield Fire said they were able to put out a fire at a business Sunday night before it caused significant damage to the building. According to dispatch records, ESF crews were dispatched to 187 east Broadway at about 7:20 p.m. on April 28 for a report of a minor structure fire. ESF officials said a business owner had reported seeing a fire starting on their security camera and called 911. Firefighters arrived to find a fire on a workbench, and were able to put it out before it spread to the rest of the structure. ESF said the business owner’s quick reaction was instrumental in allowing them to respond in time to save the structure from significant damage. Firefighters said the fire was believed to have been caused by a lithium battery, but the Fire Marshal’s office is still investigating the incident.
KEZI-TV ABC 9 Eugene