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The 'Wind Event' Fires, After The First Day

The Almeda Drive Fire burns through Talent and Phoenix on its way to Medford, September 8, 2020.
Geoffrey Riley
/
JPR
The Almeda Drive Fire burns through Talent and Phoenix on its way to Medford, September 8, 2020.
Hour 1: Interviews and calls with Geoffrey Riley
Hour 2: Interviews and calls with Geoffrey Riley and John Baxter

The region woke up to a new reality on Wednesday morning, after high winds pushed fires into and through residential areas. By daybreak, hundreds of homes had been destroyed, from Happy Camp to the McKenzie River, and more were still in danger.

The full scope of the unprecedented outbreak was still being assessed as the Jefferson Exchange hit the airwaves on that first morning.

We reached out to various public information officers as they were collecting information and invited listeners to fill in the gigantic gaps in our information.

One major benefit: hearing from people who could confirm which structures in some communities were still standing... and which were not.

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The Jefferson Exchange is Jefferson Public Radio's daily news program focused on issues, people and events across Southern Oregon and Northern California. Natalie Golay is the program's senior producer, Charlie Zimmermann is the assistant producer, and Mike Green hosts the show.