Five displaced after North Bend house fire

A family of five is without a home after their house was severely damaged in a fire Thursday morning, the North Bend Fire Department said. According to the NBFD, firefighters responded to a house fire on Monroe Street at about 5:15 a.m. on January 26. Fire officials said that when firefighters arrived, they found a home completely engulfed in flames. The fire was put out, but a family of five living there was displaced due to damage to the structure, according to the NBFD. No one was harmed in the fire, according to the fire department. They said the American Red Cross arrived to help the displaced family with housing and other needs. The cause of the fire has yet to be determined, and the Oregon Office of State Fire Marshal is on the way to try and investigate the cause of the blaze.
KEZI-TV ABC 9 Eugene

Helping through ham radio in Douglas County: Emergency services use amateur radio specialists

George Roth built his first shortwave radio when he was in sixth grade. “In grade school, being able to hear radio stations from far away places was very interesting to me,” Roth said. Roth has a degree in physics and computer science and around the time he retired in 2005, began using significant equipment and earned his radio operators license from the Federal Communications Commission. Now in charge of the county’s Amateur Radio Emergency Services organization, his radio skills have been a helpful tool for organizations like the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office and American Red Cross. To support disaster relief operations, Roth has set up emergency communications across the country for the Red Cross for the past 15 years. He’s also worked with the Douglas County emergency manager to support emergency communications equipment in Roseburg and Reedsport.
Roseburg News-Review - Metered Site

Structure Fire Fatality in Coos Bay

On January 24, 2023 at roughly 5:55 pm, the North Coos 911 Center began receiving calls for a structure fire at 610 Shorepines Place. The first fire engine arrived shortly after being dispatched to find a double wide manufactured home with significant fire involvement. Neighbors stated that they believed that the occupant may still be in the house. Immediate efforts were made to extinguish the fire and search the residence for any victims. As additional resources arrived, their personnel were assigned to supporting the search and extinguishment efforts. Unfortunately, after the fire was brought under control, the lone occupant of the residence, 84 y/o David Bryan, was found deceased underneath fire debris. After this discovery, efforts were shifted to investigation.
Oregon Today

Beaverton police officer who saved man from burning car up for Rise Award

VIDEO: A Beaverton police officer who risked his safety to rescue a man trapped in a burning car is now up for an award. Back on Aug. 30, 2022, a car crashed near the intersection of Southwest Hocken Avenue and Southwest Jenkins Road, landing on its side and catching fire. Officer Nicholas Jacobs rushed to the car, broke the sunroof and was able to pull the man out of the car to safety, all while dealing with the heat from the fire and small explosions. The entire rescue was caught on Officer Jacobs’ body camera. Officer Jacobs is now up for a Rise Award with body camera maker, Axon.
KPTV FOX 12 Portland

More than $14k donated to former Grants Pass Fire lieutenant battling ALS

Donations are pouring in for a former Grants Pass Fire Rescue lieutenant who is battling ALS. Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. Former lieutenant Cory Fox was diagnosed with the disease, following his retirement in 2020. Fox said he is in a temporary power chair, and has limited mobility in his arms and legs. Medical costs including transports have been increasing, and the family said its exceeding their means. Since launching a Go-Fund-Me page late Tuesday night, donors have helped raise more than $16,000 – just shy of its $20,000 goal. Fox was with GPFR over the past 25 years. “I’ve always been the one to help people,” Fox told NBC5 Wednesday. “Being on this side of it is very humbling and out of the norm for me.”
KOBI-TV NBC 5 Medford

Region: 2022 fire season lighter than feared, but 2023 challenges loom

Fire chiefs from around the West Coast gathered Wednesday to reflect on the 2022 fire season and look ahead to the dangers presented in 2023. Last year, Southern Oregon and Northern California were spared the worst. Officials say additional rainfall as a result of La Nina helped keep wildfires to a minimum in the Northwest. "There are complex variables that all impact what the fire weather situation looks like and we try to distill it down to something understandable. It's very useful data not just for fire service professionals to prepare for the upcoming fire season but also for our communities," Western Fire Chiefs Association Interim Deputy Director Bob Horton said. One factor fire officials say helped is the loosening of COVID restrictions. They say those restrictions led to many people trying to get out to the mountains and wilderness areas for recreation, and thus a lot more accidental fires.
KTVL CBS/CW+ 11 Medford

Lane County Public Health launches fentanyl awareness program

As part of an effort to address the growing risk posed by fentanyl, a dangerous synthetic painkiller, Lane County Public Health is launching a campaign to raise awareness. LCPH announced the launch of the Fentanyl Aware campaign on January 26, saying it was intended to help address the increasing supply and use of fentanyl in Lane County. LCPH says the increased prevalence of the illicit opioid has led to increased calls to 911, more emergency room visits, and deaths. LCPH hopes the campaign will help counteract those effects by promoting knowledge and safety through education. “Ultimately, we hope the outcome of this campaign is saved lives,” said Lane County Public Health Community Health Analyst and Fentanyl Aware campaign coordinator, Alexander LaVake.
KEZI-TV ABC 9 Eugene

Marking the anniversary of the last ’Big One,’ Cascadia earthquake overdue, officials say

Thursday marks the anniversary of the last Cascadia earthquake. State and local officials say it's a good reminder to make sure you're prepared for the next one. It's been 323 years since that megaquake hit the Oregon Coast on January 26th, 1700. It had an estimated magnitude of 8.7 to 9.2. Officials say the severe shaking caused the land to drop by about 6 feet. A tsunami arrived ashore about 15-to-25 minutes later. While experts can't predict when the next "big one" will occur, they agree the region is overdue for another catastrophic earthquake and tsunami. Officials encourage everyone to mark tomorrow's anniversary by creating a disaster plan and making sure you're prepared for an emergency.
KMTR-NBC 16 Eugene

Operating room fire at OHSU caused minor injuries to patient in December

A fire broke out in an operating room at Oregon Health and Science University at some point in December, causing minor injuries to a patient, the hospital confirmed this week. The fire was quickly extinguished, according to OHSU, but the hospital declined to provide any other specific details about the incident, citing HIPAA patient privacy rules. The incident prompted OHSU to conduct an internal review of what went wrong, according to an OHSU spokeswoman. Federal investigators from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) also investigated the incident several weeks after it happened after receiving an anonymous tip. According to an OHSU spokeswoman, the federal investigators "assigned the site 'immediate jeopardy' status," which required immediate action to fix the problems.
KGW-TV NBC 8 Portland