A 71-year-old man is dead after a fire at his Medford residence

A 71-year-old man is dead after the building he was living in caught fire Monday night. According to Medford Police, the fire broke out in a two-story garage in the 2300 block of Howard Avenue. The building had a living space upstairs occupied by Don Tersieff. Upon arrival, first responders say a vehicle parked in front of the garage as well as the entire garage door were engulfed in flames. Nearby residents were immediately evacuated by MPD officers. Firefighters say the building was permitted as a garage back in 2005, but according to city records, more recent modifications did not have updated permits or approvals. Additionally there was only one access point which made it difficult for firefighters to gain entry.
KOBI-TV NBC 5 Medford

Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue option levy to appear on May ballot

A new option levy for emergency services will appear on May's ballot for voters in Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue's service area. TVF&R says over the last five years the frequency of emergency incidents they receive has increased 23%, meaning the department needs to grow too. The levy will cost 69 cents per $1,000 assessed home value, which is 24 cents more than the current levy. That would equal roughly $210 a year for the average home. The current levy expires June 2025. TVF&R says the new five-year levy will allow them to retain 92 existing firefighter and paramedic positions and add 36 more, as well as add new equipment. "That was an analysis of what our costs would be. That ranges from the first responders that I mentioned earlier -- the apparatus -- specifically we'll be purchasing apparatus that are used for wildfire fighting. And then units that are used to transport patients,” said Cassandra Ulven, director of government and public affairs.
KATU-TV ABC 2 Portland

Region: OSU collaborates with Karuk Tribe in California to learn how traditional tribal forest fire controls worked

Oregon State University researchers have teamed with the Karuk Tribe to create a novel computer simulation model that showcases Indigenous fire stewardship’s role in forest ecosystem health. Western scientists and land managers have become increasingly cognizant of cultural burning but its extent and purpose are generally absent from fire modeling research, said Skye Greenler, who led the partnership when she was a graduate research fellow in the OSU College of Forestry. “We developed this project in collaboration with the Karuk Tribe to explore the impact of cultural burning at a landscape scale in a completely new way,” she said. “The information that went into this model is not new at all – it’s been held by Karuk Tribal members for millennia – but we developed new methods to bring the knowledge together and display it in a way that showcases the extent of Indigenous cultural stewardship across this landscape.”
The Corvallis Advocate - Metered Site

Firefighters rescue cow buried up to its neck in mud in Columbia County

VIDEO: A team of firefighters pulled a 1,700-pound cow named Ruby from a bog near Mist, Oregon, on April 21, after the cow became trapped neck-deep in mud. Mist-Birkenfeld Rural Fire Protection District Training Chief Will Steinweg told KOIN 6 News that firefighters responded to the scene at approximately 12:52 p.m., after the cow’s owners called for help to rescue the sinking animal. “We are also udder-ly grateful for members from Vernonia Rural Fire Protection District and Westport Fire and Rescue-Oregon who graciously assisted us on scene and we are pleased to report Ruby is out of the mud and recovering,” the Mist-Birkenfeld Rural Fire Protection District shared on social media following the rescue. Firefighters were able to rescue the cow thanks to a donation of special animal technical rescue equipment that was donated to the department a few years ago, the district said.
KOIN-TV NBC 6 Portland

Car crashes through Tigard construction zone and onto highway below; driver still missing

PHOTO: At around 11:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 19, Tigard Police and Tualatin Valley Fire and Rescue responded to a report of a car that had gone off the embankment where the Hall Street overpass is being built. Tigard Police confirmed to KATU News that a car crashed through the construction zone on SW Hall Boulevard and crashed onto Highway 217 below. “Our officers couldn’t find the driver and a K9 track was conducted, but that person was not immediately found,” a Tigard Police spokesperson said in an email to KATU News. Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue said the crash resulted in a significant car fire that fire crews were able to extinguish. ODOT, who is managing the construction of the new overpass, said they are reviewing any possible damage to the structure.
KATU-TV ABC 2 Portland

Early season Oregon brush fires grab attention

It’s only mid-April, but a few small brush fires popped up in the region over the past few days, putting fire officials on alert. Saturday afternoon, a brush fire burned about a quarter-acre near Northwest Corey Road in Washington County, officials with TVF&R said. The gusty winds added to the urgency to contain the fire, which happened from “debris burning that got out of control.” No one was hurt and TVF&R officials said it was put out in about 45 minutes. Around that same time, Estacada firefighters dealt with a burn pile that grew to about 100 feet x 200 feet. They said they put it out quickly and it didn’t threaten any structures.
KOIN-TV NBC 6 Portland