Residents of small Oregon town use bulldozer, snow to fight and contain large fire

Updated Jan 9, 2015
Residents of Paulina, Oregon fought back the flames of a fire that consumed three homes using a bulldozer and fire extinguishers. Credit: Still of a KTVZ video.Residents of Paulina, Oregon fought back the flames of a fire that consumed three homes using a bulldozer and fire extinguishers. Credit: Still of a KTVZ video.

With no fire department of their own, the residents of a small town in central Oregon banded together in sub-zero temperatures last week to fight a large fire, using whatever was at their disposal.

According to a report from KTVZ TV, the blaze began in the early hours of December 31 with temperatures at -11 degrees in rural Paulina, home to 130 residents.

When all was said and done, no one was seriously hurt, but the large fire had consumed two homes and a duplex. However, the Oregon Fire Marshall’s office said the damage could have been much worse were it not for the resourcefulness of those living nearby.

Folks grabbed fire extinguishers from their homes and even hopped behind the controls of a bulldozer and “other equipment” to spread and place snow atop the flames. The residents also used the dozer to knock down trees that could have spread the fire further.

The residents also bravely moved propane tanks from the reach of the flames.

KTVZ reports that some of the residents who fought the fire were treated for minor burns and smoke inhalation.