Damage from the massive Paddock fire is still being assessed by Gem County Ranchers, but as I found out, there’s room for hope. Robert Oxarango and his family knew the fire was getting very serious as it neared their ranch north of Emmett.
- Gem County ranchers recovering from massive Paddock Fire
- Fast-moving fire burned close to 200,000 acres, forcing ranchers to make tough business decisions
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story
“I fought fires for eight years for the forest service and I saw some very unique nighttime fire behavior in this,” said Robert Oxarango. “It burned as radically during the night as it did during the middle of the day.”
Oxarango knew they better get their cattle out of harm’s way as quickly as possible.
“As it turned in our case, we ended up opening every gate we had so they could go wherever they wanted to go,” Oxarango said. “It worked out okay, we haven’t found a dead animal of ours.”
Other ranchers weren’t so fortunate, as they discovered some of their cows did not make it. When it was all said and done, the Paddock fire burned close to 200,000 acres of mostly open range.