, ,

Wildfires 2020 Update: DNR Says Big Hollow Fire at 10% Containment

The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) continues to monitor the Big Hollow Fire, which is located approximately 15 miles northwest of Carson and 7 miles southeast of Cougar, Washington. Temperatures will cool by a few degrees from yesterday, with light winds out of the southwest.

Yesterday’s Operations:

The layer of smoke continued to reduce at higher elevations. This resulted in higher temperatures and drier weather at high elevations of the fire. Crews continued firing operations in the southwest area of the fire, moving east along the 57 and 58 roads to secure the fire edge. Containment lines along the 1000 road in the Siouxon block were near completion. Road systems along the eastern edge of the fire were scouted for potential containment opportunities. Crews continued installing sprinklers around the cabins at Government Mineral Springs and conducted some fuel reduction around the structures. The team held a virtual community meeting, which is available for viewing at https://www.facebook.com/GiffordPinchot

Today’s Operations: 

In the west, crews will continue firing operations along the 57 and 58 roads. Road prep will occur ahead of the firing operations in order to implement a direct control line along the southern edge of the fire. Crews will continue to construct indirect containment lines and clear fuels north along the 1000 and 6000 roads in the Siouxon block. In the east, crews will monitor fire progress on the ridge west of Wind River Hwy, hold fire on the 201 road, and scout for possible containment opportunities in the northeast. Structure protection work will continue at Government Mineral Springs. Crews will begin to prep the Trapper Creek Trail as a possible containment line should the fire progress southeast. No work will be conducted in the Trapper Creek Wilderness.

Fire
www.champpizza.com

Closures & Evacuations: 

The cabins at Government Mineral Springs are under a Level 3 evacuation order. Carson Fish Hatchery is not under an evacuation order. Areas north and west of the fire are under a Level 1 evacuation order, including Yale, Cougar, Northwoods and portions of the towns of Amboy and Yacolt. The Forest Service has issued area closures in the SW portion of the Gifford Pinchot National Forest that include most developed campgrounds, dispersed camping, and most forest roads and trails. The Department of Natural Resources has issued closures for the Siouxon Block and Merrill Lake Natural Conservation Area. The Pacific Crest Trail is open

This article provided by the Department of Natural Resources. Written by Eric Frank.

/0 Comments/by
, ,

Statewide Air Quality Alert Continues Through Weekend; Big Hollow Fire Update

The Department of Ecology issued a statewide air quality alert Thursday, which continues through the weekend, as smoke from many fires across the region continues to impact the state. 

Calmer winds and hazy skies helped to keep large fire growth moderated yesterday and allowed for firefighters to progress in Washington‘s fire danger zones.  The Big Hollow fire, however, in Southwest Washington still has active fire behavior with no containment.  

The Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) image (featured image) shows the extent of smoke that currently covers most of Western Washington and parts of Central Washington.  Smoke is expected to continue its path across the state, impacting Eastern Washington.  Overall, air quality is expected to slowly start getting better, from West to East, on Sunday. 

With such a large area experiencing poor air quality, the Department of Health recommends people to stay indoors. 

Resources:

Air
www.champpizza.com

Big Hollow Fire Update

The Northwest Incident Management Team 12 took command Friday at 6 am on the Big Hollow Fire 15 miles northwest of Carson and seven miles southeast of Cougar, Washington. Weather is expected to be partly cloudy and very smokey, with temperatures in the low to mid-70s. Light westerly winds of 7 to 12 mph are forecasted, shifting to southwesterly in the evening.

The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) that indirect control lines are being constructed with heavy equipment and roads to protect the communities of Cougar, Chelatchie and Yale to the west. Structure protection is being implemented to protect cabins at Government Mineral Springs and the Carson National Fish Hatchery. Firefighters are also assessing the risk to structures to the north and east in the fire area. 

Closures: The Forest Service has issued area closures in the southwest portion of the Gifford Pinchot National Forest that include most developed campgrounds, dispersed camping, day-use and wilderness areas, and most forest roads and trails within the closure area. DNR has issued closures for the Siouxon Block and recreation sites within the Merill Lake Conservation Area.

Evacuation levels 1 (ready), 2 (set), and 3 (go) are currently in use. Level 2 evacuation orders are in place for the areas around Yale Lake. Level 1 closures have been issued for the areas around Swift Reservoir and south of Lake Merwin. There is an air quality alert in place for southwest Washington and northwest Oregon for unhealthy and hazardous conditions.

/0 Comments/by
, ,

Washougal School District Temporarily Lays Off 60 Staff Members

Washougal, WA – Late last week, Washougal School District began notifying staff in certain positions that they were being placed in temporary layoff status starting on September 9, 2020.

Temporary layoff status is temporary leave from a work assignment. In temporary layoff status, employees maintain their benefits, such as healthcare, as long as they pay their portion of their premiums. In this status, employees may also apply for unemployment benefits.

“Our goal is to get students back to the classroom as soon as it is safe to do so,” said Mary Templeton, WSD Superintendent. “Many of the staff will be able to return to work as the district begins bringing back groups of students for in-person education. The decision to bring employees back from temporary layoff will be based on need and position.”  

“This very difficult decision was made to address budget challenges the district is facing as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Aaron Hansen, WSD Assistance Superintendent of Human Resources and Student Services. “School districts receive funding from the state based on enrollment numbers and bus ridership, both of which have declined.” Additionally, the district has additional unbudgeted expenses because of the COVID pandemic, including providing personal protective equipment, increased costs for postage and transporting classroom materials, and increased technology expenditures to support families in connecting to online coursework. 

Positions identified for temporary layoff make up 29.4 full time equivalent (FTE), or about 60 full and part time employees.

“The majority of these staff work in the district transportation department, but the list also includes library assistant, playground assistant, paraeducators and custodial staff members,” said Hansen. “Additional positions may be impacted as we work to align staffing with our enrollment.” 

Employees who are being laid off are provided with information about the change and resources to support them in accessing unemployment benefits, as well as guidance on maintaining their health care coverage. 

“If we all do our part to stay healthy and avoid the spread of COVID19 virus, we will all be together in our schools more quickly,” said Templeton. 

Washougal
www.arktana.com
/5 Comments/by
, ,

DNR Issues Level 1, Level 2 Fire Evacuation Notices To North Yacolt, Amboy Area

Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has issued Level 1 (Get Ready) and Level 2 (Get Set) evacuation notices from the Big Hollow fire near Yale Reservoir. The DNR’s Level 1 “Get Ready” evacuation notice applies to the north Yacolt and Amboy areas, and the Level 2 “Get Set” notice is for Chelatchie residents.

All residents in the northeastern part of Clark County were notified Wednesday night to be ready for evacuation if the wildfire burning east of the reservoir moves in their direction.

Level 1: READY – Level 1 evacuations are an Alert. Residents should be aware of a danger that exists. Now is the time to “Get Ready”. Residents with special needs, or those with pets or livestock, should take note and prepare for relocating family members, pets and livestock. Refine your evacuation plans and gather the things you will need if you must evacuate.

Level 2: SET – Level 2 evacuations indicate there is a significant risk to your area. Now is the time to be set for immediate evacuation. Residents should either voluntarily relocate to a shelter or designated area or with family/friends outside the area or be ready to leave at a moment’s notice.

Level 3: GO! – Level 3 means there is immediate danger. GO NOW! You are advised to evacuate immediately.
Es posible que escuche en las noticias sobre diferentes Niveles de avisos de evacuación … Aquí hay explicaciones de esos

Residents in the area received this message:

This is an emergency message from CRESA nine one one and Department of Natural Resources. Please do not hang up. This message contains urgent safety information. We are responding to the Big Hollow Wildfire in the area of Yale Reservoir. At this time, there is no immediate threat to the area but fire department officials want to make you aware of the situation in case conditions change. Because the situation is not stable and may worsen, you may need to evacuate the area. You are receiving this message because you are in an area that may be impacted. Monitor radio or TV news visit CRESA.911.org or the CRESA Facebook page for further information. No evacuation or other measures are necessary at this point however, you should prepare now to evacuate immediately upon request. Again, please monitor the news for further information about this incident. Avoid using your telephone and do not call 911 except for a life-threatening emergency. Thank you.
Este es un mensaje de emergencia de CRESA Nueve Uno Uno y el Departamento de Recursos Naturales. Por favor, no cuelgue. Este mensaje contiene información de seguridad urgente. Estamos respondiendo al Incendio Forestal de Big Hollow en el área del embalse de Yale. En este momento, no existe una amenaza inmediata para el área, pero los oficiales del departamento de bomberos quieren informarle de la situación en caso de que las condiciones cambien. Debido a que la situación no es estable y puede empeorar, es posible que deba evacuar el área. Recibe este mensaje porque se encuentra en un área que puede verse afectada. Supervise las noticias de radio o televisión, visite CRESA.911.org o la página de Facebook de CRESA para obtener más información. No es necesario realizar ninguna evacuación u otras medidas en este momento; sin embargo, debe prepararse ahora para evacuar inmediatamente si lo solicita. Una vez más, siga las noticias para obtener más información sobre este incidente. Evite usar su teléfono y no llame al 911 excepto en una emergencia que ponga en peligro su vida. Gracias.

Additional Resources can be found at: http://cresa911.org/wildfires-2020/

There are currently no mandatory evacuation orders in place, according to Clark Regional Emergency Services Agency (CRESA).

The notices also affected Battle Ground Public Schools, who announced Wednesday night that Yacolt Primary School and Amboy Middle School will be closed Thursday.

Riots
https://www.lesschwab.com/store/?storeId=714
/0 Comments/by
, ,

Oregon Fires Destroy Entire Towns; Clackamas County Evacuates

An overwhelming series of fierce, wind-driven wildfires in Oregon have all but destroyed five small towns, leaving a potentially high death toll in their wake, Governor Kate Brown said on Wednesday, as initial casualty reports come in.

Winds of up to 50 miles per hour sent blazes moving tens of miles within hours, engulfing hundreds of homes as firefighters fought at least 35 large blazes across Oregon.

The town of Detroit in the Santiam Valley, as well as Blue River and Vida, and Phoenix and Talent in southern Oregon, were substantially destroyed, Governor Kate Brown said during a press conference.

“This could be the greatest loss in human lives and property due to wildfire in our state’s history,” Brown said.

Wildfires in Clackamas County have destroyed 22 houses and structures since Sunday night and are threatening more than 600 other houses and structures as thousands have been forced to evacuate their homes. The entire county is under some level of evacuation warning, with about half the county, including Estacada and parts of Molalla, under a Level 3 evacuation order, meaning residents are asked to leave immediately.

“Everyone must be on high alert,” Brown said. 

The blazes are extremely destructive around Medford, in southern Oregon, and near the state capital of Salem.

At least three people were killed in Oregon fires and a small child died in blazes in Washington state. Brown said some communities were substantially damaged, with “hundreds of homes lost.”

/5 Comments/by
, ,

Vancouver Police Make Arrest in Hit-And-Run Incident Following Danielson Service

Vancouver, WA — The Vancouver Police Department announced Monday evening they made an arrest in the investigation of a hit-and-run incident that happened Saturday evening following the Aaron “Jay” Danielson memorial at Esther Short Park.

According to Vancouver Police, Charles R. Holliday-Smith, 30, turned himself in, and he was booked into the Clark County Jail for Assault 1 and Felony Hit and Run. The report says Saturday’s hit-and-run indicates the victim, identified as Shane Moon (as indicated by his friends) and a group of friends, identified as the pro-Trump Proud Boys, traveled from downtown Vancouver to Charlie’s Sports Bar & Grill, located at 3315 NE 112th Avenue, where the assault later occurred. The report says the group had reportedly attended the Danielson memorial earlier Saturday. Danielson was killed August 29 in downtown Portland following a pro-Trump rally.

Holliday-Smith allegedly followed the victim’s group from downtown Vancouver and began filming them, which made them feel uneasy. No verbal confrontation occurred inside the bar. Holliday-Smith was asked by security staff to stop filming, and he then he exited the bar. As he left the bar, there were several Proud Boys in the parking lot smoking cigarettes, who had just arrived from the memorial service.

The victim and his friends also went outside where both parties talked to each other, and got combative. Vancouver Police said the suspect got into his vehicle, drove toward the victim, hit him, and then fled from the parking lot. Eyewitnesses say the suspect is a member of ANTIFA.

The victim has sustained serious injuries, including bleeding on the brain, but is expected to survive.

The police say the investigation is continuing and aren’t releasing anymore information at this time.

/2 Comments/by
, ,

Aaron “Jay” Danielson Mourned Saturday at Memorial Service, Candlelight Vigil

Vancouver, WA — Hundreds gathered peacefully Saturday at Esther Short Park to honor the life of Aaron “Jay” Danielson, the man who was murdered last Saturday in downtown Portland following a Donald Trump re-election rally and caravan.

Organizers of Saturday’s two events — a 4 pm memorial service, and an 8 pm candlelight vigil — said attendance far exceeded the planned 600 for the event. The candlelight vigil had approximately 250 supporters. T-shirts and stickers calling for justice for Danielson were handed out while people grilled hot dogs and hamburgers and friends waved flags.

Danielson, 39, who died just six days shy of his 40th birthday, was a supporting member of the controversial Patriot Prayer group. The group’s leader, Joey Gibson, addressed mourners at both events.

Gibson encouraged people to remove hate. He spoke of Danielson’s love for life, and vowed to keep his memory alive.

“They got everything going up against us, but it doesn’t matter, guys. It doesn’t matter if you fight for what you believe in. If you fight for what you believe in, God will have your back,” Gibson said.

Mourners at the candlelight vigil had the opportunity to speak of their memories of Danielson, and were joined by a local Christian singing group.

“If anybody wants to say anything, we are going to keep this an open forum,” said Gibson. He then opened the vigil with a prayer asking God for peace. 

“We are so tired of all the lies, hatred and division, we are asking you to humble us as a nation, humble us an individuals, we apologize for the way we’ve acted as a nation. We apologize for the way we have treated one another. Give us the strength to forgive, and give us the strength to stand up as a voice in this nation … and guide us in the right direction.”

Several people spent the next 45 minutes sharing their experiences with Danielson.

Danielson
Candlelight vigil at Esther Short Park.

“Jay could light up the day like today at noon with the sun straight above us, bright as hell, he could light that room up, just with his smile,” said one friend.

“I honor him because there was never a dull moment just being around him,” said another friend. “He was very intelligent. A smart man. A patriot. A God-fearing man. What I remember the most is he didn’t have to try to fit in. He would go wherever he wanted to go. I told him he was accepted and the he was my friend. A lot of people turn from others because they are not the same as us. I just want to say that he will be missed …”

The man believed to have killed Danielson was himself killed by law enforcement Thursday when he pulled a gun during an arrest attempt, according the U.S. Marshals Service. 

The alleged shooter, Michael Forest Reinoehl, 48, was present in Camas at the BLM rally held on Friday, August 28 described himself in a social media post as “100% ANTIFA.” 

Danielson
This sticker was handed out to supporters.

What is Patriot Prayer?

Patriot Prayer is not an official organization, but the group does attract controversy. Gibson was accused of starting a Portland riot last year and is a frequent target of ANTIFA and other groups.

A close friend of Gibson’s, who was attacked by an ANTIFA group following last week’s Trump rally, explained what the group is about. 

“Patriot Prayer is a fight to bring God back into this country,” he said. “This country is founded underneath God. He’s given us all our liberties and rights and freedoms. We have these rights because we were born as human beings because of God. Patriot Prayer is exactly that. We stand up for this country under God because all of us are created equally and we need to remember where that glory goes to. It all goes to God.”

The group says it attends these political events to help persuade to stop hating and to turn to Christianity.

Gibson’s Facebook and Instagram pages were removed by Facebook earlier this week.

“Antifa groups murdered my friend while he is walking home, and instead of the multibillion dollar company banning Portland antifa pages they ban Patriot Prayer and myself,” Gibson said in a statement.

Facebook confirmed the pages were removed due to its “Dangerous Individuals and Organizations” policy.

“They were removed as part of our ongoing efforts to remove Violent Social Militias from our platforms,” a Facebook spokesperson said in a statement, who pointed to the policy that was expanded last month.

Joey Gibson was charged with felony riot for his alleged involvement in a 2019 May Day brawl at a Portland bar called Cider Riot.

On August 27, 2019, Gibson pleaded not guilty to a felony riot charge. He was booked at the Multnomah County Detention Center on $5,000 bail, posted bail a few hours later and was released.

Gibson said he believes the felony riot charge is politically motivated and an attempt by the city of Portland to ban him from the Rose City.

Danielson
Speaking at the candlelight vigil.
/1 Comment/by
, ,

DCA Officially Dedicates Downtown Mill Photo Collage Friday Afternoon

The Downtown Camas Association (DCA) officially dedicated the Mill Photo Collage Friday afternoon with a ribbon cutting at the Universal Martial Arts building at the corner of 4th Avenue and Adams.

The collage honors the history of the Camas Paper Mill with original images.

DCA Board President, Caroline Mercury, emceed the event, which was mostly a live-streamed virtual ceremony, providing context about the public art project from concept to construction.

“It’s just our pleasure to dedicate this beautiful photo collage to the city of Camas as a wonderful public art project that the DCA has executed to honor the huge role that the paper mill played in making Camas what it is today.”

Mercury was dressed in a paper dress to honor the occasion and the history.  The dress is a replica from a 1940s Paper Festival, which was the precursor to the contemporary annual Camas Days event.

“About four years ago, the design committee at the DCA began incubating the idea for a large-scale mural, collage, of vintage photos from the mill collection, and then entered Anna Fry,” said Mercury. 

Former and longtime mill employee Fry was involved in community relations and was the champion of this project through the GP Foundation process.

Big Hook Graphics was the company who put together the giant photo collage following direction from the talented artist, Allan Jeffs.

The Clark County Historical Museum also contributed to the project. Kitchen Electric added dusk to dawn lighting to illuminate the strumming mural. Additional funding came from Riverview Bank and the Clark County Historical Commission.

DCA Executive Director, Carrie Schulstad, explained the collage has a QR code that visitors can scan to get more information. Schulstad thanked Mercury for her daily commitment to making this project come to fruition.

Mill
www.lilyatelier.com

“Her love of the mill is just incredible as you can tell, and we are so lucky to have her in our community,” said Schulstad. “The town is fantastic and it grew up to serve the mill so if you would like to learn more there is a QR code that’s right there on the legend and you can click that and it takes you on a tour of downtown.”

Camas Mayor Barry McDonnell was there, accompanied by the brand-new City Administrator, Jamal Fox.

“Anytime you ask anyone in Camas who has been here for a while they have some sort of connection to the mill, whether they work there, they knew someone that was there … or maybe they just like to catch the toilet paper rolls that get thrown out at the Camas Days parade.”

Following his speech, McDonnell cut the official ribbon.

The photo collage was originally scheduled for its official dedication in April, but due to the pandemic that was delayed.

#downtowncamas #camas #photocollage #camaspapermill #papermakerpride #lacamasmagazine #lacmag 

Mill
From left: Marquita Call, owner of Camas Gallery, City of Camas Administrator Jamal Fox, and CW Chamber Executive Director Jennifer Senescu.
/0 Comments/by
, ,

Clark County Public Health Clarifies CDC COVID-19 Provisional Death Data

Clark County Public Health issued a statement today regarding last week’s Center for Disease Control’s (CDC) provisional death data update. Here is their statement:

We’re seeing a lot of misunderstanding around new data from the CDC, and we need to set the record straight. Provisional death data updated by the CDC last week shows that for 6 percent of COVID-19 deaths, COVID-19 was the only cause mentioned. The remaining 94 percent of deaths were among people with other underlying conditions.

This does not mean that only 6 percent of deaths are due to COVID-19. It means that for the other 94 percent, there were underlying conditions that likely made their COVID-19 illness worse and made them more at risk for serious illness and death.

There are different types of cause of death: immediate, underlying and contributing. For COVID-19, a common example might be an immediate cause of death of acute respiratory distress syndrome (which is what actually killed them), and an underlying cause of death would be COVID-19 or pneumonia from COVID-19 (which are the triggering factors that lead them to get the thing that actually killed them), and then contributing factors could be asthma, COPD, or diabetes (something that may have made their illness worse than it would have been).

As an underlying cause of death, COVID-19 is the thing that triggered the cascade of events that eventually leads to death. For example, older adults are more likely to have more contributing factors, but if they don’t get COVID-19, then they don’t start this cascade of events that lead to death.

None of this is new information. We’ve known that individuals with certain underlying conditions are at greater risk for severe illness and death. You can learn more about conditions that increase the risk of severe illness on the CDC website: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/need-extra-precautions/people-with-medical-conditions.html

COVID-19
www.artfuljuxtaposition.com

Clark County COVID-19 Update

Monday COVID-19 update: Since the last update on Friday morning, another 76 people have tested positive for COVID-19 and two people have died – a man in his 60s (unknown whether he had underlying health conditions) and a man in his 70s with underlying health conditions.

Over the weekend, Clark County had an average of about 25 new cases per day (Fri-Sun). To date, 2,610 Clark County residents have tested positive for COVID-19 and 51 people have died.

Nineteen COVID-19 patients are hospitalized and five persons under investigation (PUIs) for COVID-19 are hospitalized.

/0 Comments/by
, ,

Patriot Prayer Supporter Who Attended Camas Rally Killed Saturday in Portland

PORTLAND, OR — Aaron “Jay” Danielson, aka Jay Bishop, a Patriot Prayer supporter, was fatally shot Saturday night in Portland following a pro-Trump caravan.

Bishop attended Friday’s dueling Camas pro-police and #BLM rallies and was seen riding around and talking with supporters and protestors on both sides.

Patriot Prayer founder Joey Gibson, a controversial local public figure, who arrived at the scene shortly after the shooting, issued the following statement today:

“1st- We love Jay and he had such a huge heart.  God bless him and the life he lived. 

“2nd-I am going to wait to make any public statements until after the family can.

“3rd- If you planned on going to the boat cruise, please go!  I know that Jay would love to look down from heaven and see tons of American flags on the Columbia river today.  I will not be attending but I hope all of you enjoy yourselves out there.  Fly them high for Jay.

“God Bless all of you.”

Matt Robins, a protest medic near the shooting scene, said he heard two pops.

Prayer
Patriot Prayer supporter, Aaron “Jay” Danielson aka Joey Bishop.

“We thought someone had lit fireworks off or something, and when we looked, we saw a guy run for like two seconds and then plop on the ground,” Robins said.

Robbins said he and his partner help treat people injured at protests.

“There’s a guy standing over top of him saying this is my friend, help him please,” Robbins said.

Robbins said once Portland police arrived he and his partner were told to leave.

“We were forcibly pushed down,” Robbins said. “My partner, a field medic, tried to get her gear, because like I said, they rushed us so fast that some of our gear had fallen down.”

Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler said the shooting is under investigation, however, and a 48-year-old man who was accused of carrying a loaded gun at an earlier Portland protest is under investigation in the fatal shooting of Bishop.

Michael Forest Reinoehl refers to himself as an anti-fascist and has posted videos and photos of demonstrations he attended since late June, accompanied by the hashtags #blacklivesmatter, #anewnation and #breonnataylor.

Prayer
Video capture of alleged suspect, in black hat.

/1 Comment/by