How Oregon is building back smarter after wildfire
After a destructive fire, residents faced the task of rebuilding. Thanks to state incentives, the new homes are more energy efficient and resilient to future threats.
Juliet Grable – February 28, 2026 6:00 am Oregon Capital Chronicle
Carole and Alan Balzer have called the town of Talent home since 1998. They met in college in nearby Ashland and never left southwestern Oregon. They love the small-town life and the bucolic setting of orchards, vineyards, and ranches.
On the morning of Sept. 8, 2020, Carole was at work a few towns away when she heard that a fire had ignited in a grassy field in Ashland. Like most people living in the Rogue Valley, the Balzers were used to seasonal drought and the occasional wildfire in the surrounding hills. But that summer had been brutally dry, and every bit of vegetation was parched.
Carole called Alan, who was at their house without a car.
“Do you think I should come home?” she asked.
She never got there. Fueled by unusually strong winds, the fire roared northwest along the valley’s Bear Creek corridor. Alan had just enough time to gather their cat, a computer, and a box of photos before evacuating with a neighbor.
