Hebo Inn fire displaces local family

By CHELSEA YARNELL for the Sun

On the morning of Jan. 17, Sandra Gleave and her kids were at home in their apartment of the Hebo Inn getting ready for the school day.

“My daughter smelled fire as she walked down the stairs to the bus stop,” Gleave said. “I heard her come quickly back up the stairs and she burst in and said, ‘Mom, I smell fire.’”

Gleave went to investigate.

“By the time we went around the first corner, I could smell the rubber, plastic, and fire burning,” she recalled.

She instructed her daughters to get out of the building; the family pets followed them out the door.

Nestucca Rural Fire Protection District received a call that the Hebo Inn was on fire at 7 a.m.

“All of the reports coming in to us made it sound like it was going to be going up in fire,” Chief Jim Oeder recalled.

By 7:04 that same morning, the first NRFPD engine was on the scene.

“There was a family of five that was upstairs at the time of the fire,” Oeder told the Sun. “We had a two-person crew that went in and made an aggressive attack.”

At first, Oeder classified the fire as second alarm, but he quickly upgraded it to a three-alarm blaze.

“I ended up on scene at 7:11 (a.m.), and, at (that) point, they had gotten it knocked down, and no one was in the structure,” Oeder said. “But, we still had a lot of heavy smoke throughout the whole building.”

Gleave said that she and her family watched as the fire department worked diligently.

“All I could think of was my girls saved me and their sisters lives,” Gleave said. “We all watched the firefighters work together very quickly. It’s like they knew exactly how to make every step gracefully. They were kind and made sure we were okay.”

Oeder reported that there was great response time from everybody and no reported injuries.

“The outcome came out really well,” said Oeder. “The family got out right away as soon as they smelled smoke as there were no working smoke detectors to my knowledge. Working smoke detectors would help; this could have been tragic. It’s really important to have working smoke detectors.” we worked for; everything we had was gone. As that set in, I began to worry, but then I heard a voice in my heart say, ‘Are you serious Sandy? You have your babies, your husband, your pets, your car, and yourself. Am I seriously going to be sad about stuff that doesn’t matter most?’ I remember smiling and thanking God and praying for the firefighters.”

THE CAUSE of fire at the Hebo Inn on Jan. 17 is still under investigation, but the damage to the apartment has made the residence unlivable.

For those wishing to help, there is an benevolent account at Oregon Coast bank under Sandra Gleave’s name.

The extent of the fire damage has made the family’s apartment unlivable.

“It will be quite a while before they can live there again,” Oeder said. “They’ll need to go through a lot of inspections.”

The American Red Cross, as well as many community members, have been able to assist the family with clothing, food, and funds. Alternative housing has also been secured.

“As we drove away, my girls asked, ‘We’re never going to be able to go back there, huh?’ Gleave said. “I realized then what had just happened. Everything

“The whole community has helped us so much,” Gleave said. “I appreciate this community more than anything, there’s not a way to find everyone to even thank them. There was a fire, there was a lot of loss, and there was hope. My life has changed so much, not because our home was destroyed, but because of the love.”

A cause of the fire is still under investigation.

North Lincoln Professional Firefighters Local 5169, Tillamook Fire, and Adventist Health Tillamook Ambulance, Tillamook PUD, Tillamook Sheriff, and Oregon State Police also responded to the fire.

“A lot of agencies helped make this go smoothly,” Oeder said.