Joe Hessel remembers when the Dooley Mountain fire, which burned 20,000 acres south of Baker City over several days, was a âgiantâ blaze.
Today heâs coordinating the effort to stem a fire that burned more land than that every day.
For almost two weeks straight.
Joe Hessel
This yawning difference between what was typical early in Hesselâs career, and what is commonplace today, illustrates his longevity in a way perhaps more compelling than a couple of numbers can.
Certainly Hessel, who lives in Baker City and is in his 38th summer amidst the smoke and the flames, can attest to the changes time has wrought when it comes to fighting wildland fires in Oregon and across the West.
Joe Hessel remembers when the Dooley Mountain fire, which burned 20,000 acres south of Baker City over several days, was a âgiantâ blaze.
Today heâs coordinating the effort to stem a fire that burned more land than that every day.
For almost two weeks straight.
Joe Hessel
This yawning difference between what was typical early in Hesselâs career, and what is commonplace today, illustrates his longevity in a way perhaps more compelling than a couple of numbers can.
Certainly Hessel, who lives in Baker City and is in his 38th summer amidst the smoke and the flames, can attest to the changes time has wrought when it comes to fighting wildland fires in Oregon and across the West.