Fire Investigation Continues….
Officials have still not release the identity of the person who died last week in a residential fire one mile south of Florence. Fire fighters responded to the fully engulfed mobile home at three AM Thursday and spent most of the morning mopping up. The body of an adult male was found in the rubble, but officials have not yet released any information as to the identity of the person. Fire investigators have said they believe the fire to have been accidental or unintentional in nature, but have not said anything else as to how or why the fire started. Firefighters were able to prevent the fire from spreading to the Ocean Breeze Motel next door, as well as to other buildings on the property.
15 firefighters and four engines responded to the blaze; they spent most of the day mopping up and investigating the cause. Additional investigators from the Lane County Sheriff’s office and the Oregon State Fire Marshal are assisting.
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The Port of Siuslaw Commission will consider rate increases for the RV Park and Marina in Old Town Florence next week. Under the proposal, daily rates at all sites would be increased by $3 and weekly rates would increase between 18-and-24 dollars. Monthly rates would see similar increases.
If approved, the cost for overnight spaces with power and water would still be less expensive in Florence than at similar RV parks in Newport and Winchester Bay; but essentially the same as in Charleston. Weekly rates would be comparable with the other locations as well.
The monthly cost would reach as much as $800 for premium spaces with water and power on the river bank. Most other RV Parks that were cited as comparables, don’t offer monthly rates, except for the primitive, dry spaces.
The proposal will be considered when the Port of Siuslaw Commission meets September 16th.
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Lane County Public Works will be applying stripes to streets in Florence Wednesday and public works officials are urging drivers to be aware of the work. Florence Public Works Director Mike Miller said the county does the work on behalf of the city under a cooperative agreement. Crews can only do the work when the pavement is dry and the temperature is above 50-degrees.
Drivers need to give striping crews plenty of room to work and watch out for the “wet paint” signs. Miller says the paint is engineered to last once it has had time to dry.
As the paint is sprayed on the street surface, a layer of thousands of tiny glass beads are deposited on it. The glass beads will reflect more light at night, making the stripes more visible on a wet and rainy night.
He said the paint is fast-drying, but driving across the lines immediately after they’ve been put down can damage them and reduce the reflectivity of the paint.
If you get paint on your vehicle, Miller says wash it off immediately using a high-pressure hose and warm soapy water.
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Wild Coho salmon season open next week on 11 river basins along the Oregon Coast.
Fisheries managers estimate there are just over 200-thousand of the endangered fish in the ocean this summer; most of which will be returning to local rivers and streams. That’s just over half the number of fish that returned last year when 359-thousand wild Coho were counted.
Mike Gray, a fisheries biologist in Charleston said this year’s projections are not as consistent as in previous years. That means there may be a shorter time on some streams, while others will provide more access to anglers.
The Siuslaw River will have a shortened season because of reduced estimates.
The Umpqua River will join the Siuslaw this year with a ‘fixed season’ length. In the past it has had a fixed opening date, but the ending date was dependent on a specific quota. Fish runs have improved enough to do away with that fixed quota.
Gray says river-specific seasons, quotas, bag limits and closed areas are available on the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife website.
The opening date for all streams, including Siltcoos and Tahkenitch, is Tuesday, September 15th.
