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Firefighting Firsthand Interviews with Oregon's Firefighters By Bridget Barton August, 2002 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Oregon has seen its share of forest fires, but Oregon has given its share to fight fires, in dollars, in equipment, in labor, and in lives. As July came to a close and we are experiencing what may be our worst fire season in Oregon, every available heavy lift helicopter in the Columbia Helicopters fleet was at work fighting fires throughout the West. Columbia Helicopters, located in Aurora, Oregon, is the largest heavy lift utility helicopter operator in the world. Following are conversations with two men who know...

Kitzhaber Tours Fire Scenes, Guardsmen Arrive 07/22/2002 By kgw.com and AP Staff updated @ 3:20 p.m. Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber, conducting an aerial tour of Oregon's wildfires Monday afternoon, praised a group of property owners for taking steps to keep their homes from burning in the midst of the devastating Squire Peak Fire. Not one home around the community of Ruch was lost in the fire, although four outbuildings were destroyed. That fire was now 95 percent contained. Gov. Kitzhaber talks with folks in Ruch about fire conditions. (KGW Photo) Kitzhaber also said this year's early and devastating fires show...

Fires: Heat, dryness, lightning, wind fuel wildfire flames 07/22/02 STUART TOMLINSON and ERIC MORTENSON PAISLEY -- Oregon National Guard troops plan to join the battle today as 16 forest fires continue to rage unchecked in Central and Southern Oregon, burning 219,781 acres during the weekend and threatening hundreds of isolated homes and ranches despite the efforts of nearly 8,000 firefighters. Gov. John Kitzhaber is expected to visit the Paisley area in south-central Oregon this afternoon, where the Winter and Tool Box fires merged during the weekend into a "megafire" covering more than 87,000 acres, the state's largest. He will also...