The Nelscott Strip Almost Burned

 

How CERT Would Have Been Used If It Had

Pictures and video - click HERE

By Laura Butler

When we woke up in the dark, on December 30th, 2025, most of us assumed it was just another routine power outage. That’s normal on the Oregon coast. But this one wasn’t normal.

In one neighborhood, a few people on social media said their breaker boxes flipped completely, and one person said their refrigerator “exploded”. That doesn’t happen during a typical outage. Something larger had gone wrong.

By daylight, the sidewalk told the real story. The concrete outside the former surf shop, soon to become a ceramic studio, on the Nelscott Strip wasn’t just scorched. It was cooked. Copper had melted and fused into the surface. A hole burned down through the slab as electrical energy searched for ground, eventually finding rebar below and damaging the concrete from the inside. Parts of the sidewalk were vitrified, turned to glass by heat.

The damage was severe enough that the sidewalk was replaced. Not for appearance, but because concrete that has been electrically compromised cannot be trusted.

What caused it was not a small line.

A 12.4 kilovolt (kV) distribution line, the kind that can serve roughly 2,000 to 3,000 homes and businesses, failed in the middle of the night. It came down against the building and onto the sidewalk, narrowly missing a metal bench with plastic slats bolted into the same concrete.

When it made contact, the electrical discharge ignited a string of Christmas lights. Flames ran up toward the rafters. The building did not ignite for one reason only…rain.

The structure is old. Cedar shake. Historic. Dry.

That night, weather was the only thing that stopped this from becoming a fire.

When a line like this fails, the electricity doesn’t simply shut off. It looks for somewhere to go.

In this case, it traveled through the building and into the concrete. It burned downward through the sidewalk until it found rebar. It charred the exterior of the structure and left behind compromised electrical components and noxious odors inside.

Standing there later, taking it all in, was when my gut dropped.

Most of the buildings on the strip are adjoining or directly against one another. Cedar shake. Historic. Dry. Looking up and down the row, I counted more than a football field of continuous fuel.

Behind the strip is a green space. Baldy Creek runs through it on its way to the ocean. That green space presses directly against the backs of the buildings. Behind it sits a historic residential neighborhood with many full-time residents, homes built largely of wood and cedar shake.

Memories of the Echo Mountain Fire in 2020 came rushing back. Anyone who lived through that remembers what a dry east wind can do here.

If this had happened on a dry night with an east wind instead of winter rain, the Nelscott Strip could have been burning before fire engines ever arrived.

This was a true near miss.

This Wasn’t Just One Building

What made this situation dangerous was how many failures could have stacked at once.

The 12.4 kV line came to rest against an empty commercial building at 3:30a.m. in the morning. No one was inside to notice smoke or flame. A small fire started where the Christmas lights ignited. The line also came within inches of a bench that included plastic components. Had that bench been fully energized, melting plastic could have added fuel and toxic smoke, making suppression far more difficult.

If the weather had been dry and windy, the building itself could have ignited. From there, fire could have moved laterally along the strip. The businesses sit directly against green space. That green space sits directly against a residential neighborhood. Under the wrong conditions, there are no meaningful fuel breaks.

This was not a one-building problem. It was a chain of possible emergencies that could have escalated very quickly.

The homes most at risk, the wooden houses behind the strip, were dark and quiet. The people inside were asleep, unaware of how close the danger was just across the creek.

Power systems do not fail evenly. They fail where physics sends the energy.

Power Outages Are More Than Inconvenient

Electrical failures are a major fire risk. In the United States, roughly 23,000 structure fires each year are caused by electrical failure or malfunction. When electricity searches for ground, it can overheat wiring, damage insulation, and ignite materials, especially during surge events. (source: nfpa.org/education-and-research/research/nfpa-research/fire-statistical-reports/home-fires-caused-by-electrical-failure-or-malfunction)

Surge protection is not just about saving electronics. It reduces electrical stress and lowers fire risk. Installing surge protection at the panel or outlet level is a simple step that helps protect both homes and critical equipment.

Power loss also creates serious health risks. Many older adults rely on CPAP machines, oxygen equipment, powered mobility devices, and refrigerated medications. Losing power overnight can quickly become a medical emergency.

For anyone who depends on powered medical equipment, an uninterruptible power supply, or UPS, is worth considering. These devices sit between the outlet and the equipment and automatically provide power when the grid goes down.

Toxic Air Is a Hidden Danger

Electrical damage doesn’t always leave visible flames. Overheated wiring, insulation, and plastics can release toxic and noxious fumes.

Inside the impacted building on the Nelscott Strip, the air smelled strongly of burnt rubber. The odor was intense enough to make the new tenant feel ill during inspection. The building now requires remediation, not because something visibly burned, but because materials overheated and the air itself became unsafe. No fire does not mean no harm.

Defensible Space Stops Fire From Spreading

Fire safety isn’t only about ignition. It’s about spreading. In places like the Nelscott Strip, defensible space isn’t just a homeowner concern. It’s a community issue. It determines whether fire can move from buildings into vegetation and from vegetation into neighborhoods.

Trees are not the enemy. But when branches overhang roofs, decks, and siding, they become fire pathways. Trimming trees away from structures, clearing debris from roofs and gutters, and breaking up continuous fuel where buildings meet green space can stop fire from moving.

That building didn’t burn because it was raining. Change the weather. Add a warm, dry east wind. Suddenly, defensible space becomes the difference between a close call and a neighborhood fire.

This Wasn’t a CERT Call, But It Was a CERT Situation

CERT was not activated that night. And that matters. CERT does not self-deploy, except during a major disaster like an earthquake. CERT does not rush into danger. CERT members first avoid becoming secondary casualties. CERT waits to be called or focuses on household safety and preparation when directly affected.

But if fire had started and begun moving across the strip, CERT would have been needed very quickly. Let’s walk through that for training.

SCENE ARRIVAL

Practice Scene:

Fire risk developed at 3:30 a.m. due to a downed power line while the commercial building was empty and nearby neighborhoods were asleep. The situation evolved quietly before anyone was aware.

CERT Response:

Wait for deployment. Secure your own household. Once activated, perform rapid assessment outside the danger zone. Identify hazards and help establish safe areas and exclusion zones as directed by incident command.

Lesson:

Disasters don’t always announce themselves. Trained early intervention matters when people don’t yet realize they are at risk.

PERIMETER AND PUBLIC SAFETY

Practice Scene:

Fire could have spread quickly from structure to green space to homes. Residents would have been unaware until responders arrived.

CERT Response:

Support perimeter control outside the hot zone. Keep civilians out of dangerous areas. Reinforce evacuation boundaries and prevent movement toward smoke, fire, or downed infrastructure.

Lesson:

Clear boundaries prevent secondary victims.

ACCESS AND EVACUATION ROUTES

Practice Scene:

Highway 101 would likely be closed. Side streets could clog rapidly.

CERT Response:

Assist with traffic redirection and evacuation flow as directed. Keep access routes open for emergency vehicles. Help people move in the correct direction calmly.

Lesson:

Clear access saves time. Time saves lives.

 HAZARD COMMUNICATION

Practice Scene:

Most people would not understand the risks of downed high-voltage lines, toxic air, or fire spread.

CERT Response:

Use calm, simple language. Explain risks clearly and repeat consistent messages. Support door knocking and evacuation preparation in safer zones if conditions worsen.

Lesson:

People comply when risks are explained plainly.

RUMOR AND INFORMATION CONTROL

Practice Scene:

Rumors and misinformation spread quickly, especially overnight.

CERT Response:

Reinforce a single message from Incident Command. Interrupt rumors and redirect people to verified information.

Lesson:

Clear information reduces chaos.

RESPONDER SAFETY

Practice Scene:

Firefighters and police would be operating in dangerous conditions under stress.

CERT Response:

Serve as a buffer between responders and the public. Reduce interference so professionals can focus on their work.

Lesson:

Protecting responders protects everyone.

VOLUNTEER AND COMMUNITY ENERGY

Practice Scene:

People would want to help, sometimes in unsafe ways.

CERT Response:

Channel that energy into safe, assigned tasks such as door knocking in safer zones, guiding evacuations, relaying updates, watching for new hazards, and supporting shelters.

Lesson:

People want to help. CERT gives them a way to do so without adding risk.

THE FINAL TAKEAWAY

This wasn’t a CERT activation, but it shows exactly why CERT exists.

This incident contained many common disaster risks:

• infrastructure failure
• uneven impact
• sleeping populations
• health risks without visible fire
• ignition risk without flames
• uninterrupted fuel paths

CERT exists because these patterns repeat.

CERT exists because prevention is part of response.

And CERT exists to support communities when systems fail quietly, helping people move safely and calmly through events that often look harmless in the morning.