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Forest Grove, Sept. 20, 2014 -- Gene and Deana Bonny live on Ihrig Road, a few miles east of the fire and partway up a ridge that overlooks farmland.
(Anna Marum/The Oregonian)
When Deana and Gene Bonny saw smoke creep over the ridge behind their home Friday afternoon, they marveled at the beautiful sight – the sun shone through the haze, casting everything in an orange glow – but they knew it couldn't bode well.
They soon learned the source of the smoke was a quick-growing fire located two miles northwest of Hagg Lake and eight miles west of Forest Grove.
Then Deana, while checking Facebook, saw their road had been added to a list of roads on Level 1 evacuation notice, which means they need to be prepared to evacuate.
The Bonnys (Gene is 74 and Deana is 69) live on Ihrig Road, a few miles east of the fire and partway up a ridge that overlooks farmland. They moved to Forest Grove in June from La Pine, and said they never thought they would have to worry about wildfires in this part of the state.
"In La Pine, fire was always kind of a threat," she said. "But you would never think about it here. ...We've never been on any sort of evacuation list. I didn't even take it seriously until I saw the brush hog come through."
Despite the possibility of evacuation orders, the Bonnys haven't packed their suitcases. They know what they'll grab if they have to leave (their dog, legal documents and a computer), and for now they're just monitoring the fire. Their biggest fear is that the fire will move west and crest the ridge behind their house.
"If it would happen to come over the hill it would be devastating for people," Gene said of his neighbors.
Officials still don't know how the fire started, but Gene suspected it must have been human-caused. It could have started by a campfire, a cigarette or even heat from a chainsaw, he said.
"As dry as it is, it wouldn't take much," he said.
-- Anna Marum