Living in Wildfire Zones: Three Stories of Survival and Resilience
Living in Wildfire Zones: Three Stories of Survival and Resilience
August 27, 2025 Advocacy, Climate Change, Energy Efficiency, Home
The impacts of wildfires aren’t isolated to a single part of the state. Any community – whether by utility costs, smoke events, power shutoffs, or direct damage – can be disrupted. That’s why it’s important to understand what frontline communities are doing to be resilient against wildfires. Community Energy Project (CEP) held listening sessions in the summer of 2025 to better understand resiliency measures from around the state. We recently invited three people who participated in these listening sessions about utility Wildfire Mitigation Plans – Mendy, Chris, and Kings – to share a closer look at life in these communities.
Life in a Changing Climate
Mendy has lived in Deschutes County for most of her life and is an expert on the area’s environment. “When you live in a certain environment, it’s important to understand it and observe what’s around you,” she said. And Mendy has observed many changes in her lifetime such as water scarcity and hotter summer temperatures.
These changes are felt across Oregon. Chris lives in Blue River and has noticed both hotter summers and drier winters with little snowpack. Kings lives in Gladstone, a city in East Portland, and spends stretches of summer in a heat island, a phenomenon that traps heat in urban neighborhoods and causes the temperature to rise above the surrounding area.
The Reality of Wildfires
Unfortunately, these communities are all too familiar with another consequence of climate change: wildfires. Chris lived through the Holiday Farm Fire in 2020 that destroyed the homes, businesses, and landscape of Blue River. “It’s something that will always stay with us forever,” he said. “People didn’t feel as if they only lost their house and properties; they lost their generational memories.”
In addition to the fire damage, Blue River residents had to contend with dangerous and disorienting air quality. Smoke hung in the air following the Holiday Farm Fire and prevented the community, especially those more physically vulnerable, from returning to their homes to understand the extent of the damage. “Many community members are still very scared and still trying to cope with the damage,” Chris said.
Deschutes County is also marked by wildfires. “We’ve seen water contamination and the destruction of farming; it has really affected the environment and disrupted the ecosystems,” said Mendy. “After a fire, people’s lives are changed, and a lot of things are destroyed.”
Mendy, like the folks living in Blue River, has had to make tough decisions around recovery. “This is home. If I run away from it, I would have to start life over fresh… After a fire, you’re thinking about if you stay there or if you make a change. This is the place your life started; this is the place where you have your business. And that choice can take a toll on you psychologically.”
Preparation Starts at Home
For now, Mendy and Chris are both committed to staying in their communities. Deschutes County and Blue River are taking steps to mitigate wildfires including clearing dried vegetation from around homes and power lines. This effort fills a gap left by utility companies. “The utilities could be much more aggressive and comprehensive in their vegetation management program along powerline corridors. They should try to expand the width of the area cleared around powerlines to reduce the risk of trees falling on lines during a windstorm or wildfire,” said Chris. He would also like to see more frequent inspection of these areas and exploration into underground powerlines.
Mendy, Chris, and Kings all know that mitigation may not be enough in the future, so they also take steps to prepare for an evacuation. They keep emergency kits at home with water, shelf-stable food, important documents, and medical supplies. Kings even alters his travel plans to stay close to home during wildfire season and always sleeps near a fire extinguisher.
Mendy is a small-business owner, so she creates extensive emergency plans that also account for the health and safety of her employees. “The most difficult part of planning is preparing my mental health. Fear and anxiety come up when I prepare… I need time and helping hands to make sure my plans are comprehensive. It’s a lot,” Mendy described. “It’s helpful to talk with other people and get other ideas of how to form a good strategic plan.” She often invites neighbors to her home to draft plans together.
Building Community Resilience
These communities believe utility companies have room for improvement. Mendy, Chris, and Kings would each like to hear more frequent updates about repairs, shutoffs, and other mitigation efforts from their utilities. Chris noted that Blue River lived through one week of multiple power shutoffs with no explanation.
In addition to more transparency, Kings sees a need for diversified outreach efforts from utility companies so that more audiences are informed. In his community, leaders support outreach through regular meetings with experts on seasonal issues. A recent meeting informed residents of the danger of storing or using fuels outdoors that could trigger a large fire.
At the core of Mendy’s, Chris’, and Kings’ efforts is a commitment to fostering resilience which Kings defined as “the ability of a community to withstand, to adapt, to prevent and to go through challenging situations like wildfires and climate change. It’s about coping with the difficulties and adapting to change and, in the worst case scenario, bouncing back from setbacks and maintaining a sense of wellbeing and togetherness.”
CEP is committed to partnering with frontline communities to support their resiliency efforts and share their stories. These stories provide important insights into lived experiences and tangible examples we can include in our comments to utility companies and the Oregon Public Utility Commission when they are drafting and implementing wildfire mitigation plans.
