Paulina residents halt flames as three homes burn

Two homes and a duplex were destroyed by fire early Wednesday morning in the small Crook County town of Paulina, but residents used some fire extinguishers, a bulldozer and even the snow to keep the flames from reaching nearby homes.

No serious injuries were reported, though several residents were treated for smoke inhalation and one for minor burns from fighting the fire, said Crook County sheriff’s Sgt. James Savage.

The early New Year’s Eve blaze hit as temperatures plummeted to -11 and was “pretty devastating” for the rural community of about 130 residents, located in the southeast corner of the county, outside of the rural fire district, Savage said.

A family of four in the first home to burn awoke around 1:30 a.m. to find “the house filled with smoke coming from the attic” and got out safely, Savage told NewsChannel 21.

Before emergency crews arrived, another home and a duplex caught fire due to close proximity to the first home, Savage said. The second burned home was vacant at the time of the blaze, he said, while one side of the duplex was occupied by one resident, who also got out unharmed. All three were a total loss.

“The residents of Paulina all pulled together and were able to stop the spreading fire,” Savage said, adding that “they probably saved three more buildings” from advancing flames, using four fire extinguishers and other equipment they had on hand.

“They had a bulldozer and equipment – they knocked some trees over, out of the way in the line of fire, moved a couple of propane tanks that were full,” the sergeant said. “They were throwing snow, piling snow on top.”

“Obviously, if they didn’t knock it down, the whole thing could have gone up,” Savage said. “They are pretty savvy folks out there. They’re used to rural fire protection. They got on it pretty fast. The houses are so close together, it was pretty devastating.”

Dave Fields of the Office of the State Fire Marshal said it could have been much worse — the house where the fire broke out had no working smoke detectors, so it’s very fortunate they awoke and smelled the smoke.

“One of the biggest things — we want people to have working smoke alarms,” Fields said.

Crook County Fire and Rescue and Rager Emergency Services ambulance medics treated several citizens for the smoke and one person with minor burns, he said.

The fire also knocked out power to the town, and Central Electric Cooperative was called in to restore service. The American Red Cross also was notified and the five affected residents were advised of their services, but declined and made other arrangements instead, Savage said.

Savage said flames were coming from the attic of the home where the fire began, making it likely to be an electrical or flue fire on the bitterly cold night.

When three of the dozen homes in a town this small are destroyed, emotions run high, but help also flows in. In a close-knit community, residents have taken in those hit by the fire, and are thankful for the help coming from others.

“It’s a close community,” said Misty Oster of Kurt’s Country Store, across the street from where the homes burned. “Everybody is like family here.”

The store is coordinating donations for families affected by the fire. They can be reached at (541) 477-3311. You can learn more about the effort to help them and specifics on their needs here: http://rageres.org/news.html