Phoenix High (Oregon) cross country coach John Cornet and two of his athletes, Kyla Potratz and Sophie Stubblefield, join DyeStat editor Doug Binder to discuss the destruction of their hometown to a wildfire earlier this week. All three, fortunately, live in homes that are intact, but Cornet said district estimates are that 30 percent of members of the cross country team and 40-45 percent of students at the high school lost their homes in the fire that consumed Talent and Phoenix, towns on the south end of Medford, Ore. The five schools that serve the community did survive and will play a vital role in the recovery. The fire came through the day before school was to begin online due to the pandemic. Stubblefield finished seventh and Potratz was 11th at the 2019 OSAA Class 4A Cross Country Championships.

If you would like to contribute to a fund to help the families from Phoenix Talent that have lost their homes or had to be evacuated because of the fire, please send your donation to:

Phoenix Talent Fire Relief Fund

PO Box 937

Medford, OR 97501

Please, make checks payable to:

Jackson County School District #4