Wildfire closes in as Oregon family races to protect their home, video shows
Raging wildfires are causing unprecedented damage in Oregon, where more than 500,000 people have been evacuated, not knowing if their homes will still be standing when they return.
One family in Clackamas County took matters into their own hands to keep the flames from taking their home, video shows.
Woodrow Myers posted the video on Instagram Thursday. It shows his family working to defend their home near Molalla on South Sawtell Road, the post said.
“Up Sawtell today helping my aunt and uncle and cousins clear out hot spots and breaking some lines near their home,” Myers said. “Just headed down the hill to square things away here since Molalla just got put on level 3.”
Level 3 evacuations mean people in the area need to “go now,” Oregon Public Broadcasting reported. Most of Clackamas County is under Level 3 evacuations, according to the Oregonian.
More than 10% of Oregon’s 4.3 million residents has been forced to evacuate their homes as wildfires have burned more than 1,400 square miles in the state this week, The Associated Press reported. High temperatures and strong winds exacerbated wildfire activity later in the week, according to AP.
In Clackamas County, the Riverside Fire has burned 125,000 acres and the Beachie Creek Fire, which started in Marion County, has burned 185,000 acres, the Oregonian reported.
“The situation is evolving rapidly and in really unprecedented ways,” said Clackamas County Sheriff Craig Roberts, according to the Oregonian.