05/16/2025
A few years ago, this area burned. This devastating fire started here, this was ground zero.
It proceeded to quickly wipe out thousands of acres of our forest, displacing and killing wildlife. It threatened homes, displacing a large portion of our community and prompted immediate evacuations of people and animals. Cries for help from fellow farms begging for trailers to move their animals to safety flooded our local social media pages.
Our firefighters did an amazing job saving as many homes as they could. Unfortunately, this aggressive fire was difficult to contain.
5 years later, you can still see the destruction. Driving down the highway we are reminded of the devastating loss of forest, animals and homes.
But from ashes comes new life. Some older trees survived, but now new trees are starting. New plants are growing. Wildlife has returned and made new homes. Houses have been rebuilt. Burnt trees have been removed. It's just a memory, but one that will stick for a lifetime.
"The 242 Fire, a large wildfire in 2020 near Chiloquin, Oregon, burned over 14,800 acres. It was triggered near the Williamson River Campground and quickly spread, burning on both sides of U.S. Highway 97. The fire prompted evacuations and caused significant damage, including the destruction of 50 structures. The fire caused evacuations of nearly 1,000 households, with Collier State Park being evacuated early on."
