Uncategorized

PHOTOS: Detroit owners consider losses and their plans

Jennifer Wentzel holds up the handles of destroyed pots and pans from inside of her family’s RV at Kane’s RV Park in Detroit on Saturday, Sept. 27. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)

DETROIT – They arrived in convoys, led up Santiam Canyon through burned territory as highway crews and contractors continued the monumental task of clearing charred slopes and making Oregon Highway 22 safe.

Once in Detroit, they scattered along the streets that branch off the state highway, homeowners sometimes seeing for the first time what wildfires in early September had done to their property. In instance after instance, the discovery was the same – nothing left standing, family belongings destroyed.

Still, they approached what was left of houses and cabins and RVs in hopes of finding something – anything – they could recover and take away.

Mayor Jim Trett, a former Keizer firefighter and now an unpaid civic leader, checked in with families and shared what information he could about what’s ahead for the mountain town.

And there, in the area known as Detroit Flats, was one sign of hope – the first blades of grass emerging through the ashes.

Greg Wentzel, of West Salem, searches through the remains of his vacation home in Detroit with his children, Ozzy, 13, and Destiny, 8, on Saturday, Sept. 27. The family had just completed a five-year remodel of their home the week before the fire. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)

Small collectible sports mugs salvaged from the home of Tammy Alberts and Robert Bruce in Detroit on Saturday, Sept. 27. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)

Partially-burned apples in Detroit on Saturday, Sept. 27. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)

Jim Trett, mayor of Detroit, calls it a day after manning an information tent to assist community members all day on Saturday, Sept. 27. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)

The burned remains of Detroit Community Church in Detroit, Oregon on Saturday, Sept. 27. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)

A crew removes damaged trees from along Oregon Highway 22 in Detroit on Saturday, Sept. 27. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)

A sign on the door of Mountain High Grocery and Gifts in Detroit on Saturday, Sept. 27. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)

The burned remains of The Cedars Restaurant in Detroit on Saturday, Sept. 27. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)

A burned fire truck in Detroit on Saturday, Sept. 27. Volunteer firefighters had to abandon the rig to save their lives and those citizens with them.(Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)

Kane’s Marina sits empty in Detroit on Saturday, Sept. 27. the Marion County Sheriff’s Office recently orchestrated an effort to get about 300 boats removed from the lake before the water level drops.(Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)

An empty Kane’s Marina in Detroit on Saturday, Sept. 27. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)

Greg Wentzel holds up his family’s ‘Detroit Rocks’ rock, salvaged from inside of his destroyed vacation home in Detroit on Saturday, Sept. 27. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)

Greg Wentzel holds up a charred wine rack to show his wife, Darcie, while going through the remains of their home in Detroit on Saturday, Sept. 27. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)

Darcie Wentzel, right, and children Destiny, 8, and Ozzy, 13, sort through the ashes in their burned vacation home in Detroit on Saturday, Sept. 27. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)

Cale Wentzel, 8, pokes a damaged grill with a pitchfork after his father Gordon placed a scorched ear of corn in it at the site of his family’s RV at Kane’s RV Park in Detroit on Saturday, Sept. 27. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)

Gordon and Jennifer Wentzel, of Salem sift through the wreckage of their destroyed RV along with son Cale, 8, in Detroit on Saturday, Sept. 27. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)

Gordon Wentzel, of Salem, sifts through the remains of his family’s destroyed RV at Kane’s RV Park in Detroit on Saturday, Sept. 27. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)

Salvaged tools from the home of Greg and Darcie Wentzel in Detroit on Saturday, Sept. 27. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)

Tammy Alberts looks through the remains of her home in Detroit on Saturday, Sept. 27. Alberts and her husband, Robert Bruce, lived in Detroit for 16 years. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)

Myron Shenk, of Albany, looks at a small group of salvaged Christmas mugs from the remains of a weekend home he shared with his wife in Detroit. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)

Myron Shenk, of Albany, leans on the frame of a destroyed bunk bed at the remains of a weekend home he shared with his wife in Detroit on Saturday, Sept. 27. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)

A burned vehicle in Detroit on Saturday, Sept. 27. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)

The U.S. Post Office is one of the few buildings still standing on the main street of Detroit on Saturday, Sept. 27. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)

A patchwork of burned tree and undamaged trees is seen in the hills over Detroit on Saturday, Sept. 27. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)

A burned vehicle in Detroit on Saturday, Sept. 27. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)

New grass grows up through ash at the Detroit Flats Day Use Area on Saturday, Sept. 27. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) A patchwork of burned tree and undamaged trees is seen in the hills above Detroit on Saturday, Sept.27. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)

A fire-damaged speed limit sign in Detroit on Saturday, Sept. 27. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)

A burned sign on the front of Detroit Market in Detroit, Oregon on Saturday, Sept. 27. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)

Jim Trett, center, mayor of Detroit, stops by to speak with Tammy Alberts and Robert Bruce, who lost their home in the fire. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)

The store and government buildings in Idanha escaped damage from the wildfires. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)

RELATED COVERAGE:

ROAD TO RECOVERY: A ‘can do’ spirit emerges as Santiam Canyon residents face rebuilding

SPECIAL REPORT: A night in hell – Santiam Canyon’s ordeal

SUPPORT ESSENTIAL REPORTING FOR SALEM – A subscription starts at $5 a month for around-the-clock access to stories and email alerts sent directly to you. Your support matters. Go HERE.