Today is the fifth anniversary of the catastrophic Almeda Fire, which destroyed over 2500 residences and displaced thousands of people across Ashland, Talent, Phoenix, and Medford, Oregon where I live. One of the victims of that fire was Talent resident Isabella Ruikis. I first met Isabella when The Hearth was producing the Homebound Oregon Podcast during the covid pandemic. In an episode titled After the Fires, Isabella shared the story of losing both her mother’s and grandmother’s homes. Weeks after that episode aired Isabella came to me with an idea of producing their own podcast Shaping Ash.
Isabella wanted Shaping Ash to start with the grassroot stories of local people and then weave these survivor stories with systemic critique—highlighting not only emotional loss but also the many inequalities people experienced in the wake of the fire. Fueled by community support—individual donations, a GoFundMe campaign, and grants from the Ford Family Foundation and The Hearth—Ruikis produced five episodes, the final two released today! The podcast is deeply thoughtful, artful, and very personal as Isbella explores the cultural diversity, the resiliency, as well as the glaring inequalities made visible by the disaster.
The Hearth is proud to be a supporter of this story-based work. Five years on from the September 8, 2020 fire, Shaping Ash stands as both a memorial and a movement—a vital record of loss, resilience, and mobilization. Ruikis doesn’t just tell stories of personal trauma; they illuminate how community networks and grassroots organizing stepped in where government systems fell short. I encourage you to listen, to learn, and to remember.
