To start 2019 off, and perhaps a harbinger of weather to come later in the year, a major winter storm struck the area early in January 2019, causing considerable damage up and down the coast.
Bergerson Constuction Inc. out of Astoria began work in mid January restoring the recreational portion of the Brookings-Harbor marina.
The project removed and replaced all of the marina dock pilings and was estimated to be completed in approximately 4 weeks was completed before the end of February.
In February 2019, a man led multiple law enforcement agencies on a high-speed chase.
The pursuit spanned from Brookings to Thomas Creek and then back through Brookings and Harbor eventually ending just before the Dr. Fine bridge at the intersection of Hwy. 101 and Hwy. 197 in California.
U.S. 101 was closed 12 miles north of Brookings for 2 weeks towards the end of March 2019 after persistent heavy rains caused a slide at Hooskanaden Creek.
The Oregon Department of Transportation and Tidewater Contractors crews mobilized equipment to rebuild a quarter mile of U.S. 101 after the Hooskanaden Slide closed the highway.
On an early March morning, Crescent City Fire & Rescue responded to a reported extrication of a subject from the rear compartment of a refuse collection truck.
Fire and Crescent City Police units arrived on scene to find a male victim laying on top of the truck above the cab. The victim had been accidentally dumped into the rear trash compartment of the truck when the dumpster he was occupying was emptied into the truck.
In April, the Curry County Sheriff’s Office received a call from the Brookings Police Department, reporting that they had received calls about a possible airplane crash.
Callers reported seeing a plane go down north of the Brookings airport near Henderson Road. The plane was located by air and ground search crews made their way to the plane. There were two subjects in the plane and both were deceased. Ground crews were able to remove both subjects from the wreckage and were carried out of the area. Both subjects were from Del Norte County, California.
On April 9th, while on a routine patrol, the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Alert detected a sailing vessel traveling north from Newport, Oregon.
Coast Guard personnel conducted a search of the Mandalay and discovered 28 seven-gallon jugs containing liquid methamphetamine.
In mid May 2019, a bike theft at Chevron South in Crescent City, left a 72-year-old man traveling around the world for his 7th time, on a bicycle, without his bike.
Armando Basile had traveled around the world six times by bicycle and was currently attempting to make it a 7th time. Unfortunately, a local thief interrupted Mr. Basil’s adventure. Basile had just arrived in Crescent City at 5:30 am after riding from Eureka, and stopped at the Chevron to rest and journal when the bicycle was stolen.
On June 3rd, the Defense Support of Civil Authorities held a training exercise at Sunset Beach near Warrenton, Oregon.
Emergency managers, first responders, military members and disaster response groups spent part of the day touring the U.S.S. Anchorage as the ship launched two Landing Craft, Air Cushioned Hovercrafts vehicles that made training landings near Warrenton.
In early July 2019, the Oregon State Police, and emergency personnel responded to a plane crash, on the beach, north of the Jetty in Newport.
The preliminary investigation determined the plane was a Cessna 172 Skyhawk II and was flown by 66-year-old Newport Oregon Mayor Dean Sawyer. Sawyer departed from the Newport airport approximately 4:30pm and flew around the Depoe Bay area. Near Newport, a mechanical problem with the plane forced an emergency landing on the beach just north of the Jetty.
July also saw suspicious envelopes being received at Pelican Bay State Prison in Del Norte County.
During the prison’s mail screening process, envelopes were found to contain an unknown substance. The area of the prison where the suspicious envelopes were opened was immediately quarantined and a coordinated investigation with local, state and federal law enforcement as well as public health officials was initiated.
Early on the morning of August 27th, a vehicle left Hwy. 101 and crashed into the Java Hut drive-up coffee shop located in Smith River in the parking lot of the old Ray’s Market.
On Wednesday morning October 23rd, fire units from Smith River, Harbor, Brookings, Cape Ferrelo, Crescent City and Fort Dick fire departments responded to a reported commercial structure fire at Pac-Nor Barreling on Overlook Road, off of Winchuck River Road.
Units arrived to a fully involved structure after having difficulties negotiating the narrow access road to the property. Firefighters contained the fire to the large rifle barrel manufacturing facility and prevented spread to nearby buildings and vegetation.
On Tuesday, November 26th, communities up and down the coast witnessed some of the most extreme weather conditions the region has ever seen.
Inland, in Jackson County, Squaw Peak recorded 90 mph winds at 6:40pm. However, it was the maritime weather station at the U.S. Coast Guard Station at Cape Blanco Oregon that recorded a 106 mph windspeed at 2:00pm that Tuesday afternoon with sustained winds of over 80 mph.
Curry Health Network opened the Curry Medical Center-Emergency Care Emergency room on 5th St. in Brookings, at 7 a.m. on Monday, December 2.
The Emergency Care department will be staffed with experienced emergency physicians, registered nurses, and registered respiratory therapists, and be fully supported by Imaging and Laboratory Services.
Early on the morning of Decmber 20th, as Port maintenance staff were making daily rounds of marina facilities, staff thought they saw flames within the Charleston Ice Plant building.
The Charleston Fire department with assistance from several Coos County Fire agencies and the Oregon State Fire Marshal Hazmat crews were working the fire when a chemical tank with approximately 200-lbs of Anhydrous Ammonia breached requiring resources to evacuate the area and let the fire burn. At 10:00am, the Plant was declared a total constructive loss following the direction of local fire departments and the Regional Hazmat division.
Shortly before 11:00am December 1st., U.S.Coast Guard station Chetco River responded to a vessel on fire across the commercial boat bason basin from the station.
A witness to the incident reports that the fire was noticed just before 10:00am and reportedly started below deck before spreading to the net roll at the stern of the vessel.
Both Chetco River station Motor Life Boats were able to get water on the 85 foot “Miss Pacific” utilizing their fire pumps. No one was on board the vessel at the time of the fire.
The Wild Coast Compass would like to thank all of our readers and advertisers, and wish every one a very Happy and Prosperous New Year.
