Warm Springs Residents Stay to Battle Blaze

As one family lost its home to the Upper Dry Creek Fire that raced across 2,000 acres Thursday, many others almost suffered the same fate.

But John Marcom was among those who took matters into their own hands, refusing to leave and fighting to protect a family home from the same fate.

“I was just worried about getting the fire out, so I don’t lose my auntie’s house,” Marcom said later.

Marcom knew his aunt’s house was in trouble, so he went to work to save it.

“I grabbed the hose and started spraying and put it out before it got any closer to the house,” Marcom said.

With a hot day and the wind blowing like crazy, the Upper Dry Creek Fire spread quickly.

“It got close — it just got close,” said Norma Heath, Marcom’s aunt

After being told to leave by authorities, Heath and her family rebelled and decided to stay and battle it themselves.

“I think it would have kept going, probably taking the house maybe,” Heath said.

While Heath’s home escaped untouched, another house wasn’t. The fast-moving flames ignited a family’s home, leaving virtually nothing left. The family, fortunately, was able to make it out unhurt. In another area, an older, vacant home also was lost to the flames.

Residents of the Warm Springs Indian Reservation are no strangers to wildfire — in fact, it’s a rare summer when areas aren’t threatened with such losses.

“This one is very interesting, because of the fact that we have so many homes that have been threatened,” said Juanita Majel, Warm Springs Fire’s public information officer.

Many agencies helped battle the blaze that spread all around the “Warm Springs hill.” Pockets of smoke covered the butte, at one point hiding the landmark Warm Springs sign.

“Normally, when we have a wildland fire, there aren’t as many structures” in its path, Majel said.

Highway 3, the road leading up to the Kah-Nee-Ta Resort, was closed for a time as crews battled the blaze. Emergency vehicles were seen going up and down the highway, and smoke filled the air on the reservation.

It was another sure reminder that it is indeed fire season in Central Oregon.

“I got scared — I got scared,” Heath said.

A scary situation that could have been even worse.