The Longest Shift U.S. Army Corps of engineers operator trapped at detroit dam during beachie creek wildfire Dam operator Mike Pomeroy, trapped at Detroit Dam for over 30 hours during the 2020 Labor Day wildfires, took pictures of the facilities shrouded in smoke and haze. 8
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n Monday, Sept. 7, 2020 — Labor Day — U.S. Army Corps of Engineers power plant operator and Navy veteran Mike Pomeroy said goodbye to his wife, Ronda, the way he always did: with a promise. “See you in 14.” Then he headed down the road for his shift at the Detroit Dam, aware that the surrounding communities and forest lands were in “red flag” conditions as the Beachie Creek Fire consumed vast acreage in the northeast — and seemed to be pushing determinedly toward the Santiam Canyon. Through the night, the fire surged south as Pomeroy went about his work, driving between Detroit Dam and Big Cliff Dam three miles to the northwest. Dam operators manage both dams while on shift. Around midnight, the “main line” blew at Big Cliff, and he drove to the dam to reset it. “I knew conditions were deteriorating” Pomeroy said. “While traveling to Big Cliff, the wind had kicked up to 50 or 60 miles an hour.” At the time, county emergency managers issued level 3 (“Go Now”) evacuations alerts for the area, something Pomeroy learned from a state trooper who had to shout to be heard.
