#Mill Fire

[ausetkmt]

The Lincoln Heights community endured for decades, despite segregation, economic hardship and a pandemic. Then came the Mill fire.

When the Mill fire ripped through Weed, Calif., just before Labor Day weekend, the hardest-hit area was a historically Black neighborhood that dates back nearly a century.Credit...Brian L. Frank for The New York Times

Oct. 7, 2022

WEED, Calif. — The gray rubble appears suddenly on both sides of the highway winding through this small Northern California town, as houses give way to a landscape of charred wreckage and the remains of homes, bleached white by wildfire.

The devastation stretches for blocks. Metal skeletons of cars and blackened trees indicate where properties once stood in the shadow of Mount Shasta.

This neighborhood, Lincoln Heights, was once the thriving and vibrant home of a Black community — a rare sight in predominantly white, rural Siskiyou County, which hugs the Oregon border. Black laborers moved here from Louisiana, Mississippi and Arkansas to work at a lumber mill in the 1920s, and their descendants continued to live in houses on the outskirts of town, passed down through generations.

For decades, the mill next to Lincoln Heights offered opportunity and hope for those seeking a job and a better life. Now, residents see it as a symbol of the neighborhood’s destruction. Roseburg Forest Products, the mill’s owner, has said it is investigating whether hot ash in its facility started the Mill fire, which ripped through Lincoln Heights before exploding to 4,000 acres in early September.

In Weed, the Mill fire consumed most of Lincoln Heights, killing two people and destroying nearly 60 homes. The park that served as a gathering place is all that remains of the eastern side of the neighborhood.

“You can build that house back. But that home is a most special place,” said Andrew Greene, 84, who raised his children in Lincoln Heights. “It’s a place of culture, it’s a place of growth, it’s a place of remembrance and most of all it’s a place of love.”

The rapid blaze was the latest in a series of fires in California that, as the climate warms, have leveled neighborhoods like Coffey Park in Santa Rosa, or towns like Paradise and Greenville. That devastation has forced wildfire victims to choose between rebuilding or starting life anew elsewhere.

The hints of life from before the fire are few in Lincoln Heights. A child’s bicycle abandoned on the side of the road. A pocket watch peeking through debris. At one property, atop porch steps that lead nowhere, sits a vase of fresh flowers as a memorial.

Many residents have pledged to rebuild. But they worry that enough of their neighbors will flee to other cities for the spirit of the old neighborhood to be lost for good.

In the 1920s, hundreds of Black Southerners made the journey to rural Northern California, lured by the promise of employment, for $3.60 a day, at the sawmill owned by the Long-Bell Lumber Company, which had just closed two mills in Louisiana as it searched for untouched forests out west.

The company lent workers the train fare and provided them with wooden houses amid the aspens and pines in a small place called Weed. It was a company-owned, segregated town, and Black mill workers and their families were required to live on the northern outskirts. That neighborhood was known as the Quarters and, later, Lincoln Heights.

For decades, Black residents of Weed had their own church, barbershops and nightclubs, according to residents and a 2011 documentary about the neighborhood’s history produced by Mark Oliver, a filmmaker. They were prohibited from being buried in the white-only graveyard, so they had to dig their own. Black people could shop in some white-owned stores and cafes, but they couldn’t linger.

“Your parents would buy you an ice cream cone, you had to go outside to eat it — you couldn’t use the counter,” recalled Al Bearden, a retired probation officer who grew up in Weed.

At the sawmill, white workers were given safer, more lucrative jobs indoors. The only integration came at school — where white and Black children learned together before returning to their cloistered communities — and on the Weed Sons, the town’s baseball team.

That began to change in the 1950s and 1960s, when the civil rights movement slowly arrived in Siskiyou County. In Weed, Black residents arranged sit-ins at restaurants that wouldn’t serve them and boycotted businesses until they agreed to hire them.

Black residents said they still faced discrimination in subsequent years. At school, they said, white children would use racial slurs and make fun of those who had less money.

Lincoln Heights residents said theirs was the kind of neighborhood where children who were spotted misbehaving by a local elder could expect a call to their family home that evening. On Sundays, the Mt. Shasta Baptist Church was full.

The center of social life was 13-acre Charlie Byrd Park, named after the first elected Black sheriff in California, who grew up in Weed and led Siskiyou County’s law enforcement agency for 16 years.

“On the weekends, that was always packed,” said Lawrence Robison, 39, who grew up in the neighborhood. “Family gatherings, barbecues — just a place to go and relax at the end of the day.”

At work, times were getting tougher.

In 1982, the International Paper Company, which had succeeded Long-Bell, sold the sawmill to Roseburg Forest Products, a transaction that residents mark as the beginning of the decline of the local logging business. Around that time, advances in automation and a growing environmental movement curtailed lumber jobs.

Some found other lines of work, at the local community college, the water bottling plant and restaurants, or in nearby towns. But others left the region entirely. In 2020, nearly a third of Weed households lived below the poverty line, according to census data.

As longtime Lincoln Heights residents moved to bigger cities, Mexican, Laotian, Filipino and white families took their place. Members of the younger generations said it is now much more common to see people with different racial and economic backgrounds mingling than it was when their parents were children.

“It was a change, but it was a good change,” said Angel Whatley, 24, who grew up in Lincoln Heights.

Weed likes to present its diversity as a success story. Mayor Kim Greene, who is white, calls the city “the melting pot for all the nationalities.”

The city accounts for 6 percent of the population in Siskiyou County, but has 36 percent of the county’s Black residents, based on 2020 census data. It also has a higher share of Hispanic and Asian American residents than the county as a whole.

Still, Black residents say the decades-old struggle for fair treatment continues. Mayor Pro Tem Stacey Green, who is Black, said racism in Weed is “sneaky.”

“It’s behind your back,” he said.

Mr. Green said the city didn’t repave a road in Lincoln Heights until he threatened to call the National Urban League, a civil rights group, while a new street sweeper never made an appearance in the neighborhood until he complained.

The city manager, Tim Rundel, said he understood how Mr. Green and some residents might feel. But, he said, narrow streets in the old neighborhood have made it challenging for street sweepers and snowplows to navigate around parked cars. “It’s been a struggle in Lincoln Heights and other neighborhoods throughout Weed,” he said.

More than 250 miles north of San Francisco, Siskiyou County is still a place where residents scorn the state’s Democratic leadership. Though Weed is more liberal than Siskiyou County as a whole, some Lincoln Heights residents say the presidency of Donald J. Trump deepened political and racial tensions in town.

On the surface, people in Weed “still get along quite well,” Andrew Greene said. But he takes pains to avoid topics that could cause tempers to flare.

“The two rules of the bar — two things you don’t discuss or you shouldn’t discuss: One is politics, the other is religion,” Mr. Greene said.

In the early afternoon of Sept. 2, Weed was sweltering as California braced for the beginning of a record heat wave. Fierce wind gusts brought some relief, but also threatened to send flames and embers flying.

Just before 1 p.m., Pastor Alonzo Greene, Andrew’s son, was standing on the front porch of his childhood home in Lincoln Heights with his wife, smiling proudly because his adult children had just finished moving into the old wooden house his grandparents had built.

Down the block, his father was sitting down for lunch. Suddenly, he heard frantic knocking on his door. “Fire,” his neighbor gasped out.

Then they heard a boom.

In what felt like an instant, the neighborhood was engulfed in smoke, and the billowing winds sent flames from the direction of the mill into the neighborhood.

The younger Mr. Greene plunged into the smoke, kicking in neighbors’ doors and hauling children, pets and seniors into his pickup truck. His father rushed a neighbor and the child she was babysitting into his own truck and started driving blindly through the haze, trusting his memory of the road to guide them to safety.

A few blocks away, Patricia Mitchell’s phone was ringing. It was her sister, asking about the smoke nearby.

“So I got up and went, ‘Well, I don’t see nothing,’” recalled Ms. Mitchell, 68. “The next thing I know, there’s black smoke everywhere.”

She escaped, but her house and all of her possessions — including her wedding ring and coin collection — were gone.

“Every time I think about this fire, it brings me down, because so much was lost,” she said.

Mr. Green, the mayor pro tem, was also in trouble. He rushed out of his house without shoes, into the thick smoke.

“I couldn’t see any skies, and it started getting into my lungs,” he recalled. “I thought, ‘I’m going to die right now.’”

Finally, he saw a glimmer of blue above him and made it to safety.

“My life started there: My first tricycle ride was down my driveway, my first birthday party. And everything I knew was all there — pictures of my parents on the wall. I don’t have none of that left,” Mr. Green said, choking up.

Not everyone in Lincoln Heights survived. Two women, Marilyn Hilliard, 73, and Lorenza Glover, 65, died in the fire. Three others, including Ms. Hilliard’s husband, were injured.

At least three lawsuits have been filed against Roseburg, including a wrongful-death suit by Ms. Glover’s son that says she died as she tried to escape the flames. Ms. Hilliard died of a heart attack during the fire, residents said.

Roseburg officials said the company will provide $50 million for a “community restoration fund,” but that the money is not an admission of liability.

“We’re committed to doing the right thing for Weed, for Lake Shastina, for the long haul,” said Pete Hillan, a Roseburg spokesman.

Mr. Green wasn’t satisfied. “You’re trying to give $50 million to shut our mouths,” he said.

In the weeks since the fire, Lincoln Heights residents have scattered to nearby towns, staying with relatives, filling motels and finding temporary housing. Not everyone plans to return. Many lack the money or insurance to rebuild.

“I’ll move on — I’ll move to L.A.,” said R.T. Smith, who lost his house and all his possessions in the fire. “I’m about tired of this little town,” he added.

Others hope to restore the community. In mid-September, several dozen displaced residents were staying at the Hi-Lo Motel in Weed, where Alonzo Greene led them in a brief prayer twice a day.

“If I broke down and started crying, it really shook all of these people,” he said. “So I had to get to a point where I just take a drive by myself if I want to cry, because I couldn’t let them see it.”

He paused for a moment, gathering himself. “It’s been tough.”

[yellowbugifs]

195/365 days of regina mills

[ceruleanharley]

they had two minutes of screentime, showed up served enemies to lovers sexual tension longing resentment heartbreak and they died. pretty iconic tbh

[waterlilyvioletfog]

The Burning Mill

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[This is my art! Do not repost!]

[reireichu]

I could not prevent it, our battle at the Burning Mill...

[creativesplat]

some modern au designs for Byleth's outfits!

[blluespirit]

i wish that there was more time between the day of black sun and sozin's comet bc zuko's official desertion from the fire nation would have the most insane ripple effects (and it would be nice to see the gaang interacting a bit more than we got but hey i'll take what i can get)

zuko's desertion would have been essentially impossible for the fire nation to bury since it was such a big deal that he returned at all. so i imagine the smear campaign against zuko would have been craaazy. i think it would have been interesting for the gaang to try and deal with that when navigating the FN. zuko would be very recognisable i think at this point, and it would have made staying hidden much harder. would they still have chosen ember island? maybe the kids didn't recognise zuko and azula during The Beach , but with the prince of the fire nation committing treason would there be more wanted posters? would there be more talk around the island? would zuko have to remain hidden while the rest go out and get food?

i wonder if zuko deserting and very meaningly committing his loyalty to the avatar influenced other soldiers in the FN to also desert? or would it have had the opposite effect and made people feel more patriotic since zuko was banished, returned under the guise of having killed the avatar, and then left when aang announced his survival to world during the failed invasion?

SPEAKING OF THAT!! the rumours around this would be INSANE. we know what really happened, but the public don't. did zuko and the avatar plan this so that there would be an inside man during the invasion and then zuko used that chaos to escape? what really happened in ba sing se if zuko didn't kill aang, but azula thought that he did? (again: we, the audience know the truth, but the general public don't). if zuko and the avatar where working together... for how long? was iroh involved somehow since he also disappeared the same time that zuko did? did iroh get captured on purpose to be close to zuko to possibly help him if needed? did zuko break iroh out of jail or did one of the guards or was iroh alone? you could spiral on this as just an average person in the avatar world for years like. if youtube existed in atla imagine the video essays breaking down all the conspiracies

its a kids show so obviously Nothing Bad Happened BUT in the Boiling Rock, zuko getting found out as not only an imposter (already, a very bad situation), a traitor (extremely bad), AND the traitorous (ex) prince of the fire nation (devastatingly terrible) would have been... incredibly dangerous for zuko. in zuko and iroh's original wanted poster, the official translation says “Permission is granted to kill them on sight” and this was before zuko has gone right ahead and committed Treason On Purpose. the warden is not going to be nice. when the warden visits zuko in his cell he literally tells him "If these criminals found out who you are, the traitor prince who let his nation down, why they'd tear you to shreds." the boiling rock would be hell trying to survive. it also puts a lot more weight on zuko refusing to leave sokka in their first escape attempt. also ozai obviously knew that he has his son was in prison bc he... broke in to the prison bc azula was there but then zuko manages to escape with sokka (another imposter) and suki and hakoda (POWs) and chit sang (a prisoner) and two of azula's trusted friends end up in prison for treason as well i just. that is literally insane for the average person to hear about. again, THE CONSPIRACIES!!

when zuko eventually does take the throne there's a lot of conjecture around what zuko did while he was banished and moreso, what he did the second time he left, this time voluntarily. i think zuko's loyalty would be questioned a lot; by other world leaders who are understandably wary about the fire nation and its motivations, but also by its own people - some who believe that zuko is a traitor to his country and is trying to sabotage it since he helped end the war.

idk these are all just me rambling but it would been so interesting to explore the implications of zuko leaving the fire nation and how that would have impacted the gaang and how they interacted with others in their travels. there are so many fic where zuko joins the gaang early, but neither myself with the aus that I have written, nor many that ive read have explored this very much or at all.

[mndvx]

DOOM PATROL — DONE PATROL (S04E12) ››› Michelle Gomez as Laura de Mille / Madame Rouge

[once28]

It’ll always be such a shame that Neal died. Like there’s the obvious reasons; death sad, no endgame yk

But also Emma and Neal were such a funny ship when they wanted to be like “Oh no I taught her that” will never fail to make me laugh. Also the exacerbated sigh Neal lets out in that moment, he’s like “omg god wtf is she up to 🙄.” Then with Henry being a mini them in training is just the cherry on top. They truly deserved to be one of those couples with endless “…being chaotic for 5 five minutes straight” compilations on YT

And the humor out of the co-parenting relationship with Regina we were robbed of would’ve been epic too, you can’t tell me Regina and Neal wouldn’t have the best sibling-like banter. I can just see her try to be intimidating and he’d have these snarky remarks like my father was the dark one you don’t scare me 😑

It’s just a shame that so much of his/their story is overshadowed by the sad stuff

[thena0315]

Season 1: Hallie left/dies

Season 2: Shay left/dies

Season 3: Mills left

Season 6: Gabby left

Season 10: Casey left

Season 12: Boden left

Severide and Herrmann are all that remains of the main OGs

[greenqueenhightower]

On Why I Think The Sept Scene in 2x03 Actually Worked:

I am a Fire and Blood fan and sometimes a book purist when it comes to the show adaptations, and I understand why the Rhaenicent sept scene has upset many fans, but I think it worked well in grounding the conflict between Rhaenyra and Alicent for S2 within a cinematic/television universe. For better or worse, the writers, directors, and showrunners have to establish the Alicent-Rhaenyra feud all over again in S2, because of the possible new viewers tuning in who haven't watched S1. Therefore, for storytelling purposes, it makes sense why Alicent and Rhaenyra needed a "showdown." Let me explain:

The season picks up after Lucerys' death, and it is obvious that House Targaryen has split in two. This season's promotion made it very clear that we will deal with two factions, the Greens and the Blacks, who owe their existence to two main characters and principal figures: Alicent and Rhaenyra. Now, for a clueless viewer as to what bonds and divides the two, Alicent and Rhaenyra must interact this season for the feud between the two factions and their houses to be believable. As early as 2x01, we have Rhaenicent parallels with Rhaenyra lighting a funeral pyre and Alicent lighting candles in the sept. Episode 2x02 gave us motherhood parallels and built on how Alicent and Rhaenyra deal with grief. As the season progresses, the tension between Rhaenyra and Alicent heightens.

The theme of 2x03 is inevitable tragedy, the root cause of which is lost down the centuries, and once again, Alicent and Rhaenyra mirror each other in how they view the conflict destined to destroy their families. Rhaenyra is adamant in her resolve that Alicent has usurped her throne, and Alicent is relentless in her support of her son's rights. They are both blind to their own failings and actions until these are pointed at. Having Alicent point out Rhaenyra's faults and vice versa further heightens the tension and brings two polar opposites (the heads of the Green and Black factions as the promos and banners have established) into a frontal collision.

This confrontation, although I would have preferred it to portray Alicent and Rhaenyra as more power-hungry and vengeful, was necessary for their characters to finally strip away any delusions and become even more conscious players later on in the season. Alicent must accept that she wished for Aegon to become king because that was her duty to herself and her family, and Rhaenyra must satisfy her inner justification for plundering the realm to war since she has no further qualms for claiming back what's hers.

After the sept scene, both Alicent and Rhaenyra seem ready to reach out for more power and claim it themselves, not because Viserys wished it, but because it becomes a matter of personal ambition, self-preservation, and protection of their families. At the end of the sept scene, Alicent and Rhaenyra are left to mull over the startling revelations about themselves and their own motivations. They are closer to playing the game because they want to rather than because they've found themselves in the greater scheme of things.

Seeing each other face-to-face was the last straw that defied friendship and peace. They both know the war is inescapable, and that they are powerless to prevent it. To me, at least, the scene made a compelling statement regarding the inevitability of war and maintained the tension between Rhaenyra and Alicent needed for the show to progress.

Overall, I think that the Rhaenicent sept scene is justifiable and works well for storytelling purposes. Remember that we are watching a TV show instead of reading the book, and the showrunners have already established a bond between Alicent and Rhaenyra that was non-existent in the book. Viewing the scene in its appropriate cinematic framework does justice to the showrunners' vision of Alicent and Rhaenyra being the faces of this war.

*Spoilers:*

The show seems to be building tension for the great big Rhaenicent reunion at the finale. It makes perfect sense why Alicent and Rhaenyra have to interact at least once before that.

[doodlesandbooks]

I have no energy for anything at the moment, so take a rough doodle of some friends

[echos-muses]

i will literally never be over how peter mills is the one who went to hold matt after he got the news that hallie died. not even gabby could do it, but peter did it without hesitation. even though he felt some type of way towards casey, he went to comfort him when someone he loved and almost married died. everyone else was so shocked and didn’t know what to do, but peter? peter mills’s gut instinct was to put his personal feelings aside and comfort someone who he thought was making his life at work hell on purpose because he was with gabby. peter mills who instantly took in a puppy because it would’ve been drowned otherwise. peter mills who always tried to get people to smile. peter mills who lovingly cooked for everyone. i will never ever ever not love peter mills so much. he was such a great addition to the show. he was empathetic, kind, hard-working, ambitious, caring, determined. i love chicago fire so fucking bad, this show has genuinely made me sob so many times, so many ways, for so many different reasons.

[thepromisedbride]

i bet the brackens and blackwoods are absolutely thrilled whenever civil war breaks out. biggest celebrations in westeros going down in the riverlands

[tronodiferro]

May the Seven guide you, good knight, and lead you not into shadow and death.

Sound the horns!

[wikipediapictures]

Steel mill

“Metallurgist working by the blast furnaces in Třinec Iron and Steel Works.” - via Wikimedia Commons