Air tankers make drops in attempt to slow and control the Canyon Creek Complex. About 300 firefighters are in the area to control the fast-moving fire.
Amanda Peacher / OPB
More than 100 people attended a Forest Service community meeting in John Day Tuesday to discuss last summer’s Canyon Creek Fire.
Many residents in Grant County still have questions or bitterness about the massive Canyon Creek fire that destroyed 43 homes. Agency leaders said the meeting was necessary for the community to heal, and they wanted to give residents a chance to voice questions. And people did have questions.
Related: Canyon Creek Fire Reduces Homes To Blackened Rubble
Judi Stimac is a Canyon City resident who asked why the Forest Service didn’t have more resources at the ready to battle the fire.
"What we don’t understand is we knew up to 30-mph winds were coming on Thursday afternoon," Stimac said. "And we don’t understand how you missed that."
The Forest Service pointed out that at this time last year, firefighting resources were stretched extremely thin because of the many, many fires burning.
This week marks the one-year anniversary of the Canyon Creek Fire. It went down as one of the most destructive fires in Oregon history.