Trailer full of firefighting equipment stolen from Ore.'s Douglas Forest Protective Association

The trailer was parked in a camp serving the crews fighting the Milepost 97 fire that has grown to nearly 9,000 acres

July 28, 2019 09:01 AM

By Kale Williams
The Oregonian, Portland, Ore.

ROSEBURG, Ore. — A trailer full of equipment that belonged to one of the agencies fighting a 9,000-acre wildfire in Southern Oregon was stolen Friday night, officials said.

The trailer, which belongs to the Douglas Forest Protective Association, was parked in a camp serving the crews fighting the Milepost 97 fire near Canyonville along Interstate 5, the agency said in a Facebook post.

“Apparently someone needed our cargo trailer and the firefighting equipment inside it more than we did and helped themselves to it last night,” the agency wrote in the post.

https://www.facebook.com/DouglasForestProtectiveAssociation/posts/1301449216677169?__xts__%5B0%5D=68.ARDY7C2SlWnHZevDU6Ole-EOk3tiu5TjNkMLkp9aFmzQtkkCQZupaQPce5CYxPR-7wIB2X9BAOGKYfPmNNkfYCGJ16B1Xnt2w7FzjZLmo08Az1UqjwTHJLl4b3mR2cvTQlfcKZ2yeV9IA0tT4frdA4LTZ9Yyuzbs14ayrizOGfA2htwA9g7lkDnwOMCGh94cHQpZoiiV5KgK2yZzErJmzpO1o2MdY1jFzrj5b-X4x2c3PPiHMdNpRbvH4tSydxz-fsz8Ia2cas1gKSh5Z3mPjlNcqoNuXZX_khirrE__yevPS9L1jmBHOR23dzSpA2hfUAv4drxTVIn26O3Of3a8BVGTxQ&__tn__=-R

The fire was sparked Wednesday by an illegal campfire, according to the Oregon Department of Forestry, flooding nearby communities with unhealthy levels of smoke. Some residents in the area were issued “Level 2” evacuation notices Saturday, indicating “significant” danger to the area and encouraging people to leave. Those who decided to stay were told to be ready to evacuate at a moment’s notice.

The Douglas Forest Protective Association asked anyone with information about the stolen trailer to contact the Oregon State Police.

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