The Fire Chief of the Upper McKenzie Rural District and a half dozen crew members have lost their own homes while fighting the Holiday Farm fire.
As a brush fire grew out of control on the McKenzie Highway last Monday night, Christiana Rainbow Plews- known to all as “Chief Rainbow”- issued an evacuation order. 29-year old Kiger Plews, lived next door to his mom in the Vida area. He says they thought their homes, would be fine.
“And she got told before she drove by it that it was not fine,” said Plews. “Both the houses were completely gone. Nothing left but rubble and ash. She said she cried, she said she puked. She hugged people and then she went right back out to do it again.”
Plews is proud of his mom for following her dreams to become one of the few female fire chiefs in the western U.S. He says his family and the entire community are devastated.
“She wasn’t the only one. And she would be the first to tell you cause she’s one of the most selfless people I know,” he said. “She has volunteers who had the same thing happen. They were out fighting it—still are—and they have nowhere to go.”
The Blue River fire station was also destroyed in the blaze.
