‘It’s just ash’: British man and his family lose home to Oregon megafires

‘I never really thought that it would happen to someone that I know’, step-sister of wildfire victim tells Gino Spocchia

As the United States’ west coast burned last week, a British man awaited the moment he would evacuate as wildfires raced over Oregon’s Cascade foothills, destroying communities and livelihoods in its path.

Sam Lockton, aged 29, who hails from Newcastle, with his wife Cheyenne, 26, and baby daughter, Ivy, have since lost everything in a blaze last week, his step-sister told The Independent.  

“They had a little plot in Vida, Oregon, obviously until the other day,” said Shannen Bott, also from Newcastle. “I’ve got some photographs of what was left, but it’s just ash”.