Oregon family runs out of gas while fleeing raging wildfire, makes it to safety as friends come back for them
A family, which was out camping at Detroit Lake State Park in Oregon, was nearly left stranded in the middle of a wildfire as they ran out of gas while attempting an escape on Tuesday, September 8. Allison Hargett, her husband Tyler, and their 6-year-old daughter Lilly were all camping on the morning of September 8 with their friends Tim and Adamma Dye at the lake, which is a popular destination for boating, fishing and water sports.
The Hargett family reportedly arrived at the campgrounds on Monday, September 7 with their boat and planned a relaxing trip. However, events took an unfortunate turn when they received evacuation orders from authorities within hours after their arrival on Tuesday, at 1 am. Allison, while talking to CNN, recounted the horrifying turn of events as they got ready to leave the area amid a rapidly spreading wildfire. She said that the family got on the vehicle with the boat in tow. Their friends had also evacuated the area in their separate vehicle and were ahead of them on the road as they drove through a road with burning trees on each side.
In a video shared by Allison on Facebook, an orange glow could be seen from the vehicle as red embers from the burning trees floated around them. However, as the family entered Mill City, their vehicle ran out of gas. Mill City reportedly was also under evacuation orders at the time. The family found themselves stranded in the middle of the road with a fast-approaching wildfire. It was then when their friends came for help. You can watch the video here.
"(Our friends) were in front of us and saw that we pulled over and turned around, tossed their stuff in the backseat and told us to get in and let's go," the mother told the outlet. The family reportedly had to leave their vehicle and boat in a stoke parking lot. "We completely ran out of gas and would've been stranded. They saved us," Allison said.
In the video shared online, Allison's daughter, at one point, can be heard asking her mother if they were going to be okay, to which Adamma Dye replies assuring her that they would be fine. Both the families reportedly made it safely back home. However, the Hargetts are not certain about the safety of their vehicle and the boat. "We are also devastated to lose our vehicle and boat... but we are OK at least," Allison told the outlet while talking about their escape.
Marion County Sheriff's Office also released a video of the wildfire from Mill City, showing multiple buildings on fire. A state of emergency was declared in the neighboring Clackamas County as the authorities responded to multiple wildfires in the country. Meanwhile, the Beachie Creek fire, which began on August 16, has spread to over 500 acres of land, according to the United States Forest Service (USFC). The federal agency has said that the cause of what sparked the wildfire is not yet known.