‘Thought I was going to die’: Survivors of 2020 Labor Day fires reflect on devastating inferno

DETROIT, Ore. (KOIN) — Drive through the small tourist town of Detroit these days, and it looks far different than five years ago.

The town was nearly destroyed during the devastating 2020 Labor Day fires that swept across parts of Oregon, particularly in the Santiam Canyon.

“I’ll never forget these words, [deputies] said, ‘Leave now, take nothing,”’ said Debbie Bowman, a local for 47 years.

Bowman and her husband barely escaped that fateful night, and as they sped down Highway 22 she knew the town probably wouldn’t make it.

“I looked up and all the trees were crowning out. I knew we were in deep trouble,” says Bowman. “There was fire everywhere. We thought the tires were going to burn off.”

Somehow, her hillside home survived. The town itself largely didn’t.

“Some 90 percent of the town burned down in two nights, in two different fires,” said Mayor Jim Trett.

The longtime resident remembers looking at the cars and trucks of survivors, saying, “the plate was blistered on both sides. We had one couple holding hands, saying they’d be together forever soon.”

Trett is quick to point out steady progress since 2020: Dozens of rebuilt homes, a new community center and town hall, and a thriving park that attracts thousands during summer concert nights.

What visitors won’t find is much progress when it comes to new shops or businesses.

The lasting impact on Detroit Lake, the top tourist draw, is a growing concern, too.

“[Fire] destroyed the forest canopy, which protected the snowpack, which is what kept the lake full during the summer. That snowpack went away very, very quickly this year,” Trett said.

Some 17 miles away, in the town of Gates, say the word “fire” and it’s no joking matter to any of their 500 residents.

“There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t think about it. It changed my whole life,” says Billy Edge.

KOIN 6 News first met Edge shortly after his home was lost.

He eventually rebuilt but then moved away because he no longer felt comfortable in a place he scarcely recognized.

“It was crazy. I’ve never seen fire like that before,” said Gates. “I thought I was gonna die right there. We got trapped in traffic on the road. I don’t know how many cars are in front of us because no one is moving.”

The fires in the Santiam Canyon that week destroyed more than 1,500 structures, injured dozens, and left at least five dead, according to local and state forestry officials.

Thursday night at 5 p.m., KOIN 6 continues its in-depth coverage with an exclusive look at the rebuilding efforts underway in the canyon, amid bureaucratic hurdles and a changing landscape.