Homeowner affected by Central Point structure fire speaks out

CENTRAL POINT, Ore.- The residential structure fire burning in Central Point Tuesday afternoon has been contained and mopped up.

Jackson County Fire District 3 was alerted to a fast-moving grass fire in the 4200 Block of Grant Road in Central Point at the same time as a microburst thunderstorm. According to Fire Chief Mike Hussey, the fire ignited in the field and then quickly spread to what he believes was a mobile home and greenhouses. He says the fire grew to around 15 acres because of the wind.

“With this incident being wind-driven, it really emphasized the need for people to be vigilant and ready to go. It was right on the edge of the community and although there’s green grass within our parks, just on the edge of it is dry fuels,” Hussey said.

Hussey also says two ODF helicopters were dropping water on the fires edge while firefighters engaged in an aggressive attack. With the fire’s proximity to other homes along with the weather conditions, quick response was needed, and many agencies came to help.

“Rogue River, Ashland, Medford, Jacksonville, Fire District 3, it took a bunch of resources to get the head of the fire knocked down due to the wind,” Fire Chief Hussey said.

While the Central Point Police Department issued a Level 2 – Be Ready alert, it was soon after downgraded. The forward progression of the fire was stopped around 5 p.m.

Fire Chief Hussey says luckily there were no injuries or fatalities.

“It’s been a safe operation for both our community and our personnel. It’s really hot out here, so now that we got it knocked down, we’re cycling our responders in so they can get hydrated and get back to work,” Hussey said.

While Hussey says it’s too early to establish a cause of the fire, Quade Norush, the homeowner whose structures were burned in the fire, says he saw what happened. He released a statement to NBC5 News that says in part,

Around 3:50 p.m. this afternoon, I was coming home from the Portland hospital where my wife is currently having dialysis and blood transfusions from getting a positive test for E Coli. I arrived home to a windstorm on the property, I heard a loud explosion outside and went to check on it. Upon further inspection, a tree had collapsed from the strong winds in the valley and landed on the power lines causing a fire. I only had about one minute to grab the dogs from the trailer and rush them to the vehicle. We have lost everything due to this fire. Only the clothes left on my back. I’m a local small business owner and this is effecting my family dramatically.

“Wildfire can happen anywhere,” Fire Chief Hussey said.

Norush has set up a GoFundMe for his family. He says he lost everything, including some of his chickens who died in the fire. If you’d like to show your support by donating, head to his GoFundMe page.