Fires force WND HQ evacuation: Uncontrolled Southern Oregon blaze threatens offices

WorldNetDaily.com ^ | Monday, July 29, 2002

[JohnHuang2]

Uncontrolled wildfires destroying tens of thousands of acres of pristine forestland in southern Oregon and threatening scores of homes, farms and ranches are now raging very close to WorldNetDaily's secluded corporate headquarters, forcing evacuation of all personnel and vital equipment.

The so-called "Florence" fire, ignited by lightning almost two weeks ago, has already consumed over 18,000 acres of tinder-dry forest and remains totally uncontained despite the efforts of 500 firefighters.

"Our primary concern right now is for the safety of our employees and their fight to save their own homes," said Joseph Farah, editor and chief executive officer of WorldNetDaily. "They have heroically pulled together to get our computers, data and valuable equipment out of harm's way. Even our company's mascot, a 3-year-old cocker mix, has been spirited away."

The news gathering for and the production of the website are not expected to be adversely affected by the fire. However, the administrative offices, including customer service lines, will be down until the danger is over and the fires are under control.

"We're asking our customers, our vendors and all those who have reason to call our corporate headquarters to be patient," said Farah. "There is little we can do in the face of this natural disaster hitting southern Oregon – except pray."

WorldNetDaily has been hit with a series of calamities in recent weeks – a major hacking effort that shut down the site's online store and a major Internet network outage in Northern California that shut down the site this week for more than seven hours.

"It seems like we've had more than our share of illness and misfortune befalling us for some time," said Farah. "But the good news is that we have managed, with God's blessing, to survive it all. And we will meet this challenge as well."

[JohnHuang2]

Monday, July 29, 2002

Quote of the Day by willgetsome

[FreedomFriend]

I'm beginning to see a pattern here, and I'm thinking that most are being intentionally set. Could it be someone who wants to run people off their land? The whole things is appearing to be a scheme, and I don't buy the "well, it's been dry and, hence, we're having lots of fires". There's one other possibility, as environmentalist laws have prohibited brush clearing and fire breaks which help keep forest fires under control. However, intentional blazes seems like the most likely scenerio.

[brat]

God speed, Joseph Farah! Prayer bump for WND!

[JohnHuang2]

Dittos!

[jaq]

There is no scheme other than the one you mentioned: The enviros extreme policies have led to this. Ask any forester, you can't leave forests to thicken for 10+ years and not expect disaster to happen. Adding to that is the fact that many of these forests have been declared "Wilderness Areas" in which all roads through the forests have been removed.

As those out west say: "Fire trucks can't fly!"

[EdReform]

Double Dittos Bump

[EdReform]

Ping

[EdReform]

Double Dittos Bump

[Salvation]

Prayer Bump for WorldNetDaily. I had no idea that they were based in Southern Oregon.

[madfly]

ping

[Carry_Okie]

...said Farah. "There is little we can do in the face of this natural disaster hitting southern Oregon – except pray."

Give me an 0-44, some files, a gallon of gas and bar oil, and one day's time and I could save that building myself. They would still have standing trees around it. A D-8 would be even quicker.

[E.G.C.]

BTTT!!!!!

[Alamo-Girl]

Bump!

[WaterDragon]

Since the mainstream media is ignoring the primary cause of these fires conservative publications should be including, in every article about the fires, the information that lawsuits by the environmentalist socialists and Democrat forestry policies have prevented thinning the forests and regular reduction of flammable material that has been allowed to build up.

The anti-private property socialists have human deaths and loss of homes as well as millions in tax monies expended to answer for for the last 15 years in the West. Why aren't conservative publications hitting harder on this?

[EBUCK]

We've had a very serious bout of lightning lately. Even here in the W. Valley. Very dry late but pretty humid early every day. I don't think there is a consiracy starting the fires but their severity is another matter entirely.

EBUCK

[EBUCK]

WDragon has it right. Years of "hands-off" laws and lawsuits have created a fule supply in the area that has never been greater. The Leftist-Greenie-EcoNazi plan is, in fact, to clease the rural areas of humans so that the cathredral may be free. We know it, so let's let them know that we know!!

Click on Picure to buy sticker..

EBUCK

[Grampa Dave]

I hope that Joe, his family and his employees are safe and stay safe.

However, the state of Oregon has been burning up, and this eco terrorism has been basically ignored here on Free Republic. It is like who cares, only the fruit cakes in Oregon and California are having these fires.

Maybe now another dozen or so Freepers will wake up to the critical problem going on in Oregon, California and other western states thanks to the Druid Agendas of the Green Jihadists.

There are 17,000 other people at risk due to these two fires: ( Wildland firefighters battled to keep a 30-mile-long wall of fire from reaching the Illinois Valley on Monday where 17,000 people were warned to get ready to flee)

Up to now, those 17,000 other innocent people have been basically ignored by most Free Republic pingers and readers.

Now maybe we can get another 10 to 12 concerned Freepers re "Is Oregon Burning?".

[Grampa Dave]

Here is the last real status on the fire that is threatening 17,000 innocent Orgonians and Farah's people. The update from WND is woefully out of date:

As the 70,000 acre Florence fire roared south toward the 20,000-acre Sour Biscuit blaze, firefighters dug a last-ditch fire line stretching along the western edge of the valley and southwestern Oregon communities.

Sixteen bulldozers worked the line on the steep ridges west of Woodrat, Tennessee and Eight Dollar mountains while 14 more wait along U.S. 199 in Selma, awaiting orders to join the fire fight.

I heard by phone this morning that the combined burn acreage of these two fires is over 100,000 acres or 156.25 square miles or an area 78 by 78 miles has burned with about 30 people on Free Republic even aware or caring about it and most important the 17,000 innocent women, children and men in that area who are in Harm's Way!

Firefighters are preparing to set a 34,000-acre backfire that would be larger than most of the other fires being fought in Oregon.

John a 34,000 acre backfire is an area equal to 53.125 square miles or bigger than a square 7 miles by 7 miles. Most cities don't occupy that much space. "We are running dozers 24 hours a day," said Rick Hartigan of the Arizona Central West Zone Incident Management Team overseeing the firefighting.

[Grampa Dave]

Here is a picture of that fire taken last night by our own freeper, wanderin, from his driveway in Grants Pass, Or..

[Grampa Dave]

Here is photo from yesterday evening showing some people leaving the area with the Sour Biscuit Fire behind them: