While Highway 99 remains closed from Valley View Road north of Ashland to South Stage Road in south Medford, it is possible to get to Talent on country roads taking off from South Stage Road. The boundary for the level three evacuation zone at the north end of Talent is Talent Avenue. So, I was able to drive my car to park on Talent Avenue without violating any rules. I then walked the two blocks to my house needing to cross only about 5 feet of burned grass. A police car was leaving my neighborhood as I was crossing Highway 99 but he seemed to have bigger worries than a fat old woman wandering around in the restricted zone.
The houses along my street are built so that the garages are in the back, accessed by an alleyway which has a fence on the other side. My neighbor two doors down had created a small rock garden along the fence behind her house which included two tall ceramic cats. I found only one cat standing and you can see the burned boards from the fence and the melted flowerpot. Her little rabbits a few
feet away were guarding a living plant with the fence intact behind them. That is how close the fire came to my house. There were large black ashes in my backyard and a dead bird on my patio table. Otherwise, the house seemed in good shape and the only smoke I smelled was near an open window.
My nephew, who is fleet manager for the city of Ashland, talked to some firemen and they thought that our neighborhood survived because we have newer roofs up to fire code and hardi-plank siding so it was hard for embers to take hold. I also heard from another neighbor that a firefighter who lives behind our alley gave our neighborhood a little extra love. Then again, maybe miracles do happen.
The good news for Talent is that much of our downtown area remains intact. We have a Post Office, a grocery store, a city hall, a community center, and a library all standing tall. Our beloved Camelot theater was saved and most of the businesses along Hwy 99 between Valley View and Colver Rd. on the west side appear in good shape. Not so much on the east side but more on that tomorrow.
