Community steps up for Elk

Scot and Nicole Frazer were on their way to an event in Elk, Wash., on Aug. 18 when a plume of smoke rising from the trees made them second guess dinner plans.

Scot Frazer, a U.S. Army combat veteran, was the 2023 Military Hero of the Year for the Coeur d'Alene Regional Chamber's Fourth of July American Heroes Parade.

“We have heroes dinner up there, where two local heroes are honored the third Friday of every month,” Nicole Frazer said. “So we go up there for the dinner, and as we were leaving the valley and turning to go north, we called to make sure it was still happening.”

The Oregon Road Fire started near east Oregon Road, in Elk, Wash., which is north of Spokane, about 16 miles south of Newport and 15 miles west of Blanchard.

The Frazers continued with dinner plans, despite the looming presence of the Oregon Road Fire, but they didn't let it out of their minds.

That Saturday, they immediately got to work, heeding a Facebook post from the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 5924 asking for donations.

The Gray Fire in nearby Medical Lake had already called in multiple firefighting resources as many structures were quickly consumed by flames.

So when Elk erupted into smoke from the Oregon Road Fire, resources were thin.

“Part of the problem here was that it grew so fast that not a lot of people had time to do anything,” VFW Post 5924 Quartermaster Bruce Hodgson said. “There was a callout for people to get their trailers and animals out.”

Evacuations were followed by an immediate need for more donations when nearly 80 people lost their homes in the Oregon Road Fire.

“There was a guy who lost his entire house,” Nicole Frazer said. “And he said, ‘Hey we need help.’ And the whole community was just stepping up. That’s the nice thing about a smalltown community, is you don’t always have to get along, but everybody just stepped up when people were in need. In an event like this, it doesn’t matter if we haven’t talked in a year and a half, I’m still going to come help you.”

And people did come to help.

The Frazers arrived Monday to make 250 sandwiches with the VFW’s manager Shalene Lenz. Lenz delivered sandwiches to anyone who needed them: firefighters, electricians who were securing power lines, evacuees, or people who lost their homes.

Lenz was described as covered in soot and visibly exhausted as she was loading pickups with water, Gatorade, sandwiches and grab and go snacks for people who hadn't eaten that day.

“We have a whole bunch of volunteers,” Hodgson said. “Every day this week we’ve had at least 10 people and different ones. Word of mouth is really good around here.”

The Frazers volunteer through the VFW regularly. They were instrumental in erecting the Illuminating Heroes memorial sculpture, they volunteer with Washington State Fallen Heroes project and attend Heroes Dinners.

When there was a need in Elk at the start of the fire, the network was already there to call on, and everyone stepped up.

“Many hands make for light work, so whenever there’s a project we’re ready to mobilize,” Scot Frazer said.

Other VFW volunteers were heading into the front lines, helping their neighbors build fire breaks lending tractors or animal trailers and manpower where needed.

People brought travel trailers to the shelters in an effort to help anyone and everyone who needed it.

“People donate,” Nicole Frazer said. “People were bringing in bread. People brought in clothing and dog food, blankets and pillows, children’s clothing, toys, and vegetables from their garden. Stuff that didn’t need to be heated, grab and go foods. Hygiene products, diapers, Kleenex, toilet paper, cleaning supplies, wet wipes.”

The list goes on.

The need for donations has largely ended now, where storage has become a problem for both the VFW and those who lost homes in the fire.

But the response was encouraging for residents of Elk.

“You read about these kinds of things elsewhere and you don’t think much about it,” Hodgson said. “Then it happens somewhere close to home. And the people really just rise up to take care of everything.”

The Oregon Road Fire has burned over 11,000 acres, and as of Friday afternoon, was 16% contained.