Watershed council youth crew teens put out fire

Published 1:43 pm Monday, July 17, 2017

Several teens saved a Ukiah woman and child and their home July 6, putting out a fire before any major damage was done to the structure.

The six teenagers, all aged 14 and 15 and members of a Youth Conservation Corps crew with the North Fork John Day Watershed Council, were helping Ukiah School employee Trent Douglas set up a greenhouse at the school when they spotted a fire coming from a home nearby. They went to look and discovered that the porch of a home was on fire.

Douglas said the teens acted fast.

“From the time they spotted it and got over there, it probably took 45 minutes to an hour,” he said. “They got it out pretty quick, but because the porch had caught fire, I didn’t feel safe leaving it on the side of the house, so we pulled the porch off the side of the house and hosed all the pieces down.”

Betty Norris of Fox said she was pleased with her great-niece Austin Kendall, 15, of Cove, who was working on the youth crew that day.

“She was the one who grabbed the garden hose first,” Norris said. “I’m proud of all those kids for being quick thinkers.”

Douglas said he did not know how the fire started, but there was very little damage to the actual home.

The woman renting the home was at work, but her young daughter and a babysitter were in the house and were unharmed.

Douglas said there was a garden hose running in the front yard, which the teens grabbed to douse the fire. While the Ukiah fire hall is near the house, Douglas said the teens had it under control before the fire department had to be called.

“It was flaming pretty good,” Douglas said. “But they were on it. The kids were pretty impressive.”

Douglas said Friday was the crew’s last day in Ukiah, and they will now be working in the mountains near Olive Lake for the next two weeks.

The students, all from around Umatilla and Union counties, are Ben Combs, Austin Kendall, Tovias Niel, Quinton Orr, Khai Robertson and Colton Schock.

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