In a posting three days ago, Steve Greenwood, Curator at the Wells Fargo History Exhibit in Portland, recounted the major damage done by a huge forest fire a century ago. Today, in Part 2, Steve offers tips on protecting your home from fire. If you have any first-hand accounts of your experiences with fires in recent years, we invite you to write them here. (CR)

Part Two

Yacolt is a Klickitat  word meaning "place abounding in evil spirits" or "haunted valley." One tale relates that five children, lost while picking berries, were taken by Yacolt, a demonic entity. From September 11 to 13, 1902, a demon was certainly at work in the area. The Yacolt Burn caused profound damage to forest, homes and farms.

A century later, Pacific Northwest fires in 2002  surpassed the summer of 1902 as the worst fire year on record (see pix here ). About a million acres in Oregon and Washington burned.

Many Pacific Northwest towns—Battle Ground, Bend, and Chelan—are within a stone’s throw of the forest and potential fires.

If you live near high-fire risk areas, here are a few tips  to help protect your home:

• Have a fire-resistant roof and exterior.
• Keep access roads free of vegetation.
• Keep firewood and flammable objects away from your home.
• Prune trees and remove ground fuels.
• Keep your gutters clean.