PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Oregon’s wildfires continue to rage, and more than 10,000 brave people are on the front lines fighting them.
But a Portland man turned his vehicle into a makeshift firefighting unit on the way home from a camping trip.
Tyler Kidd told KOIN 6 News he knew he had the tools to act when he saw a brush fire in the distance near Moffett Creek on I-84.
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“I know we’re pulling our trailer behind us, we’ve got water tanks in it, we’ve got our fire extinguisher, you know, we’ve got to be able to do something to put this out,” he said.
So Kidd carefully rushed over and faced the flames head-on. No one was hurt – just a few singed hairs.
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As Tyler Kidd was driving on I-84 on August 13, 2024, he stopped to put out a brush fire. (Courtesy of Jessica Gilligan) -
As Tyler Kidd was driving on I-84 on August 13, 2024, he stopped to put out a brush fire. (Courtesy of Jessica Gilligan)
Kidd’s fiancée Jessica Gilligan filmed the whole thing. The video shows smoke rising as the drivers drove on.
“We saw a lot of cars drive by,” Gilligan recalled. “And I understand that maybe they don’t have the time or the resources or don’t really know what to do.”
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Kidd said he wanted to help, especially because fires are not uncommon in the Columbia Gorge. In fact, he said he can still see the burn marks on the trees from the massive Eagle Creek fire in 2017.
Worse still, just eight miles from where Kidd and Gilligan first stopped, another fire broke out on I-84 hours later.
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In total, more than 1.2 million acres (nearly 1,900 square miles) have burned across the state, more than four times the usual amount for this time of year, according to the Oregon Department of Emergency Management.
Given these statistics, we should all be ready to help if we can, Kidd said, especially firefighters who are already working tirelessly.
“I just thought it was the right thing to do,” he said. “If I could help them in any way, I think that would be meaningful.”
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