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Herald and News Sunny 93/54 Page B6 S ATURDAY July 19, 2014 empowering the community ❘ www.heraldandnews.com — Klamath Falls, Oregon — $1 The 298 passengers were from at least 10 different countries Annie’s Mailbox........................B6 Services......................................A4 City/Region................................A2 Classified................................C1-8 Comics, crossword.........................B5 Forum.........................................A6 Law enforcement.......................A4 Lotteries.....................................B3 Sports.....................................B1-4 DAILY BRIEFING ONLINE INDEX CONTACT US Like our Facebook page and leave us a comment at facebook.com/HandN. Follow us on Twitter for breaking news updates: @HeraldandNews. GOP abandons support for Oregon candidate Republican leaders in Oregon have abandoned a legislative can- didate after learning he served jail time on accusations he assaulted his mother’s boyfriend and then punched her in the mouth. See page A4. Local wins Miss Oregon’s Outstanding Teen contest Nicole Carter, 17, was crowned Miss Oregon’s Outstanding Teen at the end of last month. Carter, who will be a senior at Mazama in the fall, is traveling to Florida for the national pageant. See page A3. Vol. No. 23,677 On heraldandnews.com: For breaking news updates, go to www.heraldandnews.com Moccasin Hill Fire claims couple’s outbuildings, but cabin still standing H&N photo by Lacey Jarrell Susan O’Leary, of Sprague River, demonstrates how she wet down her log cabin in the hopes flames of the encroaching Moccasin Hill Fire wouldn’t ignite the damp wood. Beetles drawn to fire site The black fire beetle is the most common insect seen at fires. They race to be the first to damaged forest, where they mate and deposit eggs in charred wood. Read more on page A5 Fire footage A firsthand video account of the Moccasin Hill Fire is avail- able at heraldandnews.com. After the fire A gallery of photos of Susan O’Leary’s property after Sun- day’s Moccasin Hill Fire are available at heraldandnews.com under “Galleries,” or at http://bit.ly/1zSR55r. By LACEY JARRELL H&N Staff Reporter Thick black smoke billowed, and flames roared overhead as Susan O’Leary turned to the 12-year-old boy submerged chest-high in the water beside her. She asked him if he knew any prayers. “No, ma’am.” “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want,” O’Leary began, reciting the 23rd Psalm of David. When she finished, Joseph Berg- strom whispered “Amen.” Bergstrom pulled his wet T-shirt over his face. O’Leary covered hers with a bandana. Together, they waited for the Moccasin Hill Fire to pass. The fire’s path Neighbors alerted O’Leary to Moccasin Hill Fire shortly after it erupted Sunday in the drought- stricken, dehydrated forest about six miles from the cabin she shares with her husband, Fred Klotz, owner of Cook’s Mountain Woodworks. The couple hoped the fire would turn up Cook’s Canyon and bypass their 20-acre property on Cook’s Mountain. What they didn’t know at the time was that strong winds were driving the blaze straight for them, and it had already cut off their egress. O’Leary said the couple is not unprepared about fire danger. Last fall, they spent days felling trees, burning slash and raking needles to reduce fire fuels. “We take it very seriously, and we still did not save our woodshop or our hay barn,” she said. As the column of boiling smoke and flames approached the cou- ple’s property, they doused their structures with water from four water tanks, which hold more than 500 gallons each. Surviving the blaze Residents submerge in pond waiting for the danger to pass See page A3 McClatchy News Service WASHINGTON — A family of four headed to a reunion in the Philippines. A graduate student on summer break with her boyfriend. Two soccer fans fol- lowing a beloved team to New Zealand. The 298 passengers and crew aboard Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 on Thursday were from at least 10 different countries. Some were flying for business trips, oth- ers for adventure, to move abroad or to visit relatives. One man was traveling to his mother’s funeral in Jakarta, Indo- nesia. More than 100 of those on board reportedly were researchers and activ- ists headed to an international confer- ence on HIV-AIDS. At least one was a baby. Few, if any, probably had any idea that the Boeing 777’s flight path would take it over a hotly contested area of Ukraine, not far from where Ukrainian military aircraft had been shot down in recent days. Even if they had known, the idea that the conflict raging more than 30,000 feet below them on the ground could threaten them in the air likely never would have crossed their minds. The plane crashed in Ukraine on Thursday, apparently shot down by a surface-to-air missile. The Ukrainian government blames pro-Russian mili- tants for the tragedy. But the separatists say the Ukrainians are responsible. The tragedy struck a particularly terrible blow to the world’s community of HIV-AIDS researchers and activists, who were gathering in Melbourne, Aus- tralia, for next week’s 20th International AIDS Conference. President Barack Obama said Fri- day that nearly 100 of the conference’s attendees were killed in Thursday’s crash. “These were men and women who had dedicated their own lives to saving the lives of others, and they were taken from us in a senseless act of violence,” the president said. Among the lost: Adventurers, researchers, 3 young siblings See PASSENGERS, page A3 By TRISTAN HIEGLER H&N Staff Reporter The situation at the Moccasin Hill Fire is almost in hand, with local units set to take over operations today. According to U.S. Rep. Greg Walden (R-Hood River), who toured the fire camp near Sprague River Friday afternoon, the blaze is approximately 95 percent contained. “They feel real good about where they’re at,” Walden told the Herald and News. “They really got on it.” The, 2,535 acre blaze broke out Sun- day. Thirty-five structures were dam- aged, but all were determined to have been lost the first day of the fire. Throughout Thursday, fire crews extinguished hot spots along the fire line and throughout the nearby residential areas. On Friday, crews continued with the mop-up work. One minor firefighter injury was reported Thursday, according to a press release. As of Thursday morning, a level 1 evacuation status remains in effect for subdivisions near the fire. Multiple wildfires throughout Oregon and Washington have prompted the gov- ernor to declare a state of emergency and mobilize National Guard units. INSIDE: U.S. investigators head to Ukraine to study Malaysia Airlines crash Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 See FIRE, page A5 Walden: Moccasin Hill Fire 95 percent contained START NOW: People with depression usually never seek out treatment; however, even those with severe depression can improve with treatments including medications, psychotherapies, and other methods. Go to healthyklamath.org to learn more. NOT FEELING UP TO IT? Depression is a chronic disease that negatively affects a person’s feelings, behaviors and thought processes. Depression has a range of symptoms, the most common being a feeling of sadness, fatigue, and a marked loss of interest in activities that used to be enjoyable. Tourney time Players from Klamath Falls and Yreka prepare for regional tournament with weekend games See page B1 General info............. 885-4410 Circulation ............... 885-4420 Classified ................ 885-4430 See SURVIVORS, page A5
