Cave Junction neighbors help others evacuate during Krauss Lane Fire

Cave Junction, Ore — In what seemed like a moment a small fire became a major wildfire threatening homes and lives.

As the evacuations were ordered and smoke filled the sky some neighbors say they took to the streets making sure everyone in the area made it out okay.

“It spread like crazy,” said Cave Junction resident Nina Horsley.

What started as a couple acres burning near a mill exploded into a 40 acre blaze, at one time threatening 125 homes and structures.

Firefighters say conditions were perfect for the Krauss Lane Fire to spread out of control.

“The light wind you’re seeing and the flashy fuels, that’s what spread this fire so quickly, the call came in around 1:30 and the fire spread very fast,” said Jason Bayless with the Illinois Valley Fire District.

Spreading so quickly residents had little time to leave.

“Within 30 minutes I’d say it was over 5 acres, and growing,” said Horsley.

Facing mandatory evacuations some chose to risk their own lives to get others to safety.

“We got a neighborhood watch group going on here, so we contacted all our street captains and our street captains contacted their neighbors and we got all the elderly out as quick as we possibly could,” said Horsley.

With the fire now contained and crews remaining throughout the night, residents were allowed to return home with a renewed sense of how quickly a fire can spread.

“We did what we could, we got people with their animals out and people were actually pretty calm about it,” said Horsley.

All evacuations have been lifted and the fire is now contained but wildland and structure crews will remain throughout the night.

There’s also a public information table set up at the shop smart in Cave Junction.

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