Facebook fireworks post prompts closure of parking lot

By Madison Yeash

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    EUGENE, Oregon (KEZI) — The City of Eugene closed the Skinner Butte parking lot on August 8 after a video of an illegal fireworks display circulated on social media, highlighting concerns about fire risks during peak wildfire season. Local residents fear that reckless actions could endanger nearby homes and historic landmarks.

The City of Eugene’s Park Operations Manager Chris Girard said the decision to close the parking lot happened quickly after a video of an illegal fireworks display began circulating Facebook on August 6.

“The fireworks display that was caught on video by a person on social media earlier this week — definitely had to be vehicle based. And it’s my understanding, from the Eugene Springfield Fire Department, that several of our past fires on the butte were originated from that parking area,” Girard said.

Girard said that last year, five fires started on the butte. Three of those fires were confirmed as starting in the parking lot. This year, the pattern continues. Fireworks were the cause of a fire on Skinner Butte in July. With fire season well underway, these illegal displays are a huge concern for visitors to the park and people who live nearby.

“Not only are fireworks illegal in Eugene, but at this point in the year, they’re actually endangering the community,” Girard said.

Cory Rutley-Rodriguez, a Eugene resident for more than 40 years, said she is concerned about a fire starting and traveling down the hill. This would impact nearby residents and could potentially destroy some of Eugene’s historical houses in the area, including the Shelton McMurphey Johnson House, which sits at the base of the butte.

“Eugene founding houses are down in that area too, and it’s just putting people at risk for no reason whatsoever,” Rutley-Rodriguez said.

Dry grass, which would act as a fuel for the fire, is also a concern.

“I just think there’s a lot of dry grass in this area, and a lot of people like recreating down below, and just people everywhere,” Eugene Resident Loki Miley said. “There’s like a time and a place for fireworks for sure and not necessarily at Skinner Butte.”

Miley grew up in Eugene, and he visits Skinner Butte frequently to climb. He said he sees Skinner Butte as a local staple and thinks that it’s unfortunate that the parking lot had to close.

“People like to come up to the viewpoint a lot, to see the city and just meet up with their friends and stuff like that. And when we don’t have those local places to recreate and hang out, it kind of puts a damper on our experience as locals,” Miley said.

Rutley-Rodriguez is the administrator that approved the post in the Lane County Caught on Camera Facebook group. She said that she wanted people to see these actions and learn from others’ mistakes.

“It’s unfortunate that this has to happen because people don’t care, but at the end of the day, now that’s what we’ve got to do because people can’t get in line with what the common sense would be — not to put human lives and property at risk,” Rutley-Rodriguez said.

Jeremie Elliot posted the video on Facebook after seeing the fireworks go off. He said that despite being caught up in the moment on Tuesday, he recognizes that fireworks are a bad idea.

He said that when the butte parking lot reopens, he would like to see more security in the area to prevent situations like these.

“They should have more patrol. I really think that they should have more patrol. They should set up funding to have cops sit up there, come through there, or do whatever they need to do. I think that would cut down on a lot of the crime,” Elliot said.

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