The small town of Detroit was one of the Oregon communities destroyed by wild fires that ripped through the Santiam Valley in September of 2020. Four months later large piles of mangled metal, charred trees and debris is what is left in place of the city hall, the community church and the row of houses on the picturesque lake. These historically unprecedented fires burned more than 1.2 million acres statewide and destroyed more than 5,000 homes and structures.  In particular, the towns of Phoenix and Talent in the south of the state that are home to some of the most vulnerable residents – the undocumented workers and low income families vanished in a matter of hours.

The rebuilding of affected communities is currently underway, but there are many obstacles including the overwhelming amounts of wreckage, hazardous materials and compromised trees. There is also a tough emotional decision about whether it is worth rebuilding here in the first place. Communities that were most affected are historically poor and located in rural parts of the state. 

A few months later the cleanup is underway. Trucks are moving metal scrap and dumping it into a growing pile of mangled rust across what used to be the town’s church. A few residents and workers are staying in trailers and tents. Some are burning trees and debris with the smoke rising over the lake and the surrounding mountains.