Community recounts rush to protect loved ones, homes from Rowena Fire

THE DALLES, Ore. (KPTV) — David Lyons, a former wildland firefighter, was in The Dalles Wednesday afternoon when he saw the Rowena fire coming over the hillside near 7 Mill Hill Road. Lyons had stopped at an auto shop after work and noticed a bulldozer sitting nearby. Within 15 minutes, Lyons was on the bulldozer and working to stop the flames from spreading.

“[I’m] just a country boy who knows how to run equipment,” Lyons said.

Lyons said he worked as a wildland firefighter for six years and knew he had to act quickly if he wanted to stop the fire from spreading into town. While many people might hesitate to run towards a wildfire, Lyons said he knew he had to hop on the bulldozer and get to work.

“I was thinking this is fun, a little scary. You know, deciding if I should zig or zag,” he said.

While on the bulldozer, Lyons said he focused on digging a line in front of the fire to help slow the flames from spreading. Thankfully, Lyons said fire crews in helicopters showed up within a few minutes and were able to help him get things under control.

“The helicopter pilot did an amazing job,” Lyons said. “They were in front of me and behind me and over top, slinging buckets (of water).”

Wildfires are nothing new for The Dalles, and Lyons said he’s glad he was able to help the small, tight-knit community.

“I’ve always wanted to help people, that’s why I did firefighting years ago,” Lyons said. “I think it’s just the right thing to do.”

Lyons had to put his wildland firefighting training to the test. And it’s thanks in part to the lucky old bulldozer that he was in the right place at the right time.

“It was a good unit,” Lyons said. “A trusty old dozer.”

With a big fire comes big damage, and for Dave Barber, that damage included losing his home.

“You know, really, I haven’t processed it yet, it’s a lot, it really hasn’t hit me, to be honest,” said Barber.

Barber said he is still processing, but he knows he will make it through.

“It hasn’t sunk in all the way that’s for sure, you know we’re trying to put some things back together down there and trying to get water hooked up the best we can, and I ask for a tool thinking I have one and realize no I don’t have one and that’s going to take a while to get used to,” said Barber.

Another family experienced loss and is grateful in the same moment, witnessing everything around their home burned, but their house was spared.

“It’s pretty unbelievable, but thankful that the house is intact, and that’s always just the number one thing,” said Manuel Cisneros.

They lost some but managed to keep what they needed, surrounded by many who lost everything.

“It’s pretty crazy to see how this looks right now compared to what this was looking like 24 hours ago, but this happens continually every year though you see it, it’s always a threat, all the time you expect it but not expect it and then when it hits it’s like oh it’s time to go,” said Cisneros.

Now the area is working to slowly move forward as the fire is still ablaze and the fight is not over yet.

“Once they let you come in and finish up and let you get whatever you need, the cleanup is going to start, and that’s going to be pretty messy for us but a lot messier for other people, I’m sure and that’s going to be the tough part,” said Cisneros.

Along Highway 30 in Rowena, a lot of the homes have been destroyed by the Rowena wildfire, but some houses are still standing, either by folks staying throughout the night or, as some claim, by the grace of God.

For some, it’s a total loss, and all that’s left of their homes are photos and memories.

“24 years, that was home for my children, that is where they grew up, where my grandchildren played. So, it’s a tough loss,” Andy Miles said.

When the fire started, Miles was asleep and was woken up by a police officer banging on his door, telling him to evacuate.

“I grabbed some of my son’s paintings, a few things from the safe, some clothes, and now everything I own is literally in a pile. That’s it, a few bags, some shirts, and photo albums. But most important of all, this girl down here, my dog,” Miles said.

Miles drove through the fire and smoke that was along I-84 to get to his son’s house in Hood River. He has not been back to see what’s left of his home since he left. We were able to show him over Zoom.

“I’ve got my son with me, Jesse, there is our home,” Miles said, tears welling up in his eyes, “At least the chimney is there. That’s about all we can tell, where the porch was and the chimneys. It’s a deep sadness and a great loss.”

But other homeowners along Highway 30 came back to a very different situation Thursday morning.

“I was so lucky, so happy to see my house! My family and I started crying to see our house still there,” Polo Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez’s house is essentially unscathed-- but he did lose his garage, which housed his business, and a few cars. He said his family did what they could to protect their home when the fire first broke out.

“There was smoke on this side and smoke on that side, so I screamed at my family to go out of the house and start spraying water everywhere,” Rodriguez said.

Taking water from their hose and the hot tub, they sprayed as much water on the roof as they could, until the fire was right next to them.

“Around 5, I think, is when I saw my neighbor’s house just go up in flames on fire. There were big explosions, so we got in my pickup and headed east to The Dalles,” Rodriguez said.

But other folks decided to stay through the night.

“We were standing here in the driveway and when that first house caught on fire, it was boring pretty good there was a big gust of wind and embers came down all over and we had what, four to five fires in different spots,” Joe Hobbs said standing next to his neighbor Brian Conaway.

Armed with just a hose and a shovel, Hobbs and Conaway did not get any sleep Wednesday night as they fought the fire through some scary situations.

“A lot of propane canisters were going off, possibly fireworks ammunition, maybe there were times it sounded like a warzone,” Hobbs said.

Despite being in a Level 3 “Go Now” evacuation zone, these neighbors do not plan on going anywhere until the fire is out.

“It’s not over till it’s over. It’s not comforting at all, as you can see the wind has picked up again, the danger has not gone away,” Conaway said.