State fire officials call it “a miracle.”
When Molalla, Oregon, was threatened by a huge wildlife, the state and federal agencies could spare no resources to help the local fire department of 13 firefighters and 33 volunteers. It looked hopeless.
Then the cavalry arrived.
More than 1,200 local residents organized themselves into the “Hillbilly Brigade” and deployed into the surrounding forests. Ranchers brought bulldozers and water trucks, loggers brought chain saws, and hundreds of people went to work with picks and shovels, cutting miles of fire lanes.
The fire is still burning, but didn’t reach the town, which appears safe for now. Read story here.