- Name
- Miguel Tejada-Flores
The small Oregon town where I have lived for two-odd decades, Talent, Oregon, was overrun by a wildfire two weeks ago, on September 8. The fire was fueled by unseasonably hot and longer-than-normal weather conditions - and a ferocious (nearly 50 mph) wind. It's been extensively documented in the American press and news outlets. A large portion of Talent - possibly between 35 and 50 per cent - burned to the ground within hours. Strangely, the capricious path of the fire meant that certain neighborhoods were spared and remain unscathed. I was among the fortunate as my house ecaped the flames entirely, though hardy (possibly foolhardy) friends who stayed during the conflagaration said that many homes and neighborhoods owe their survival to changes in wind direction. I had to evacuate the day of the fire - as did most of the town - and most of the neighboring town, Phoenix, which unfortunately suffered even heavier fire damage. I was camping out at different friends' homes for a week and a half before I could return - before electricity and water were restored - and another week elapsed before major roads and highways - which had been closed due to downed power lines and flaming natural gas lines which threatened explosion - could be dealt with safely by emergency crews.
It took me nearly two weeks before I felt capable of picking up a camera and taking some photos of the devastation which occurred only a few blocks from my home. I felt like an uninvited guest, walking amid the rubble of what had been other peoples' and neighbors' lives, but was now reduced to, literally, rubble. I've seen many photgraphs of the apocalyptic destruction left behind in some war zones - but never expected to see it where I live.
All the photographs were taken along the main street of town, Talent Avenue - one side of which was burned and destroyed - and the other side of which, providentially and possibly ironically as well, has survived intact. This is a wider view of what used to be a neighborhood--
As the pictures show, some things survived surprisingly well, others not at all--
Here in the foreground, the remnants of what was once a fence---
Many verdant trees which filled the town burned; here and there some seem to have partially survived--
Taking these pictures was difficult for me. Looking at them hasn't been easy either. But as I think we all know, there is something disturbingly - what's the right word? addictive? seeing images of destruction. Maybe the relief that it happened to someone else? In my own case, though I survived, close friends lost everything when their homes or apartments were burned to ashes, shortly after they managed to evacuate - all of them safely, providentially.
This image really hit me harder than others - it really shows the devastation---
Surprisingly, in the small municipal park on the other side of the street, bushes and plants are flowering, some showing the beautiful fiery changing colors we get in the fall--
And here the green leaves in the park are an obvious and very strange contrast of life as it was going on, literally right across the street from a small apocalypse--
There is a second set of photographs which I took, perhaps a block away from here --- all in the residential area which borders the small downtown business area - which I will post momentarily, but I'll stop this first installment here, in the interests of not having an overly image-heavy post which might load slowly.
It took me nearly two weeks before I felt capable of picking up a camera and taking some photos of the devastation which occurred only a few blocks from my home. I felt like an uninvited guest, walking amid the rubble of what had been other peoples' and neighbors' lives, but was now reduced to, literally, rubble. I've seen many photgraphs of the apocalyptic destruction left behind in some war zones - but never expected to see it where I live.
All the photographs were taken along the main street of town, Talent Avenue - one side of which was burned and destroyed - and the other side of which, providentially and possibly ironically as well, has survived intact. This is a wider view of what used to be a neighborhood--
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)
As the pictures show, some things survived surprisingly well, others not at all--
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)
Here in the foreground, the remnants of what was once a fence---
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)
Many verdant trees which filled the town burned; here and there some seem to have partially survived--
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)
Taking these pictures was difficult for me. Looking at them hasn't been easy either. But as I think we all know, there is something disturbingly - what's the right word? addictive? seeing images of destruction. Maybe the relief that it happened to someone else? In my own case, though I survived, close friends lost everything when their homes or apartments were burned to ashes, shortly after they managed to evacuate - all of them safely, providentially.
This image really hit me harder than others - it really shows the devastation---
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)
Surprisingly, in the small municipal park on the other side of the street, bushes and plants are flowering, some showing the beautiful fiery changing colors we get in the fall--
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)
And here the green leaves in the park are an obvious and very strange contrast of life as it was going on, literally right across the street from a small apocalypse--
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)
There is a second set of photographs which I took, perhaps a block away from here --- all in the residential area which borders the small downtown business area - which I will post momentarily, but I'll stop this first installment here, in the interests of not having an overly image-heavy post which might load slowly.