VIDEO: The man suspected of setting a string of fires in Portland last Wednesday has been found dead, according to an update from Portland Fire & Rescue.
Police and fire investigators were looking for the man responsible for 11 fires in the Kerns, Buckman, Hosford-Abernethy and Brooklyn neighborhoods, apparently set between the hours of 3 and 7 a.m. on Sept. 20. Investigators said that they were looking at a serial arsonist, a man seen in several surveillance videos during the spree. The fires started near Northeast 28th Avenue and Sandy Boulevard, according to a news release from PF&R. From there, the arsonist apparently moved in a southwest and then southerly direction, setting off more fires in the Kerns, Buckman, Hosford-Abernethy and Brooklyn neighborhoods, with the final fire occurring just after 7 a.m. in Hosford-Abernethy.
KGW-TV NBC 8 Portland
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The City of Salem will withdraw its appeal to the Oregon Supreme Court regarding benefits to the family of longtime firefighter Mo Stadeli, who died in 2019 from job-related cancer.
The move comes after hundreds of firefighters and community members rallied outside city hall Monday evening.
“I’m very sorry for all the harm we’ve caused to Mo’s spouse,” said Salem Mayor Chris Hoy. City Manager Keith Stahley made the announcement at a meeting Monday night, a decision met by applause from those in attendance.
“After receiving further input from city council earlier this evening, I have directed City Attorney Dan Atchison to withdraw the petition to the Oregon Supreme Court to review the decision,” he said.
After serving the City of Salem for 28 years, Firefighter Maurice “Mo” Stadeli, was diagnosed with tonsillar cancer in 2018 and died in 2019.
KOIN-TV NBC 6 Portland
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The Cannon Beach Rural Fire Protection District will ask voters to approve a new tax levy in November.
The five-year levy, which would replace two existing levies, would help continue to fund administrative staff and add three paid firefighters. The fire district, which serves Cannon Beach, Arch Cape, Cove Beach and Falcon Cove, has one of the lowest permanent tax rates in the county at 35 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value. The permanent tax rate is set when a district is established, which leaves fire districts dependent on voters to approve levies and bonds to keep up with increasing demand for service.
If approved by voters, the levy would cost $1.50 per $1,000 of assessed property value, in addition to the permanent tax rate, for a total of $1.85 per $1,000.
The Daily Astorian
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The Lookout Fire is currently 50% contained and is 25,751 acres in size. It was lightning caused on August 5, 2023.
The Bedrock Fire started on July 22, 2023 and is currently 31,590 acres in size, and 98% contained. The cause is under investigation.
On August 25, 2023 the Petes Lake Fire started by lightning and is 3,254 acres in size and 50% contained.
The Horse Creek and Pothole fires started in late August and have burned 763 acres and 109 acres. Both were lightning caused and both are 100% contained. Evacuations for the Bedrock, Lookout, Horse Creek, Pothole, and Petes Lake Fires have been lifted. There are no evacuations notices in place within Lane, Linn, or Deschutes Counties for these fires currently.
KVAL-TV CBS 13 Eugene
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