Oregon Man Dies After Attempting to Exterminate Gophers with Fire

rabenson · #1 ● 08-22-2011, 02:55 AM

YAMHILL, Ore. - A man who had an accident with a torch in a Yamhill County field died from his injuries, the sheriff said.

Firefighters found 87-year-old Streeter Luke Roy on Saturday afternoon when they went to check out smoke that was coming from the field.

Roy suffered serious burns and was flown by helicopter to a specialized burn unit at a Portland hospital, where he later died.

"It appears that Mr. Roy was injecting fire into gopher holes with a torch when something went wrong and he became engulfed in flames," said Yamhill County Sheriff Jack Crabtree.

"We just started seeing helicopters then we saw the flames and then we knew it was going to be out of control," said witness Connie Neal.

Roy lived in nearby Carlton. He farmed the land where he was found, although a different man owns the field.

"He was just a really nice guy, I never heard a bad word about him," said Stan Neal. "Very energetic, always moving, always going back and checking on his hay. I would see him drive through town and a man that age it's just incredible."

"You see him in town, he was always happy. He was really friendly, he was a popular gentleman and well known to the community," Connie Neal said.

Firefighters from almost a dozen agencies helped fight the brush fire.

They included two “strike teams,” which are equipped with specialized trucks to fight brush fires.

Firefighters got the fire under control by about 2:45 p.m. on Saturday.

http://www.katu.com/news/local/128151943.html

Eaton · #2 ● 08-22-2011, 04:24 AM

That'll teach him.

bdjackass318 · #3 ● 08-22-2011, 07:55 AM

yeah that'll learn him!

**kellyhound** · #4 ● 08-22-2011, 09:01 AM

Not real smart

Faline · #5 ● 08-22-2011, 09:30 AM

Viking64 · #6 ● 08-22-2011, 09:39 AM

Originally Posted by rabenson ↗

Streeter Luke Roy

Is it just me, or does anybody else feel that his name is backwards?

candymosh · #7 ● 08-22-2011, 12:28 PM

.

Karma · #8 ● 08-22-2011, 04:43 PM

Aww gofers are cute. I know farmers hate them because they make holes, but FFS, THAT'S what they do dammit. You can't blame them for being gofers!!
Karma strikes the gofer torcher.

Lee · #9 ● 08-22-2011, 04:56 PM

Kill it with fire does not apply to everything

**butterflylove** · #10 ● 08-22-2011, 06:19 PM

he has/had been watching too much Cadyshack

Oregon Man Dies After Attempting to Exterminate Gophers with Fire

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