WHEN THE SANTIAM FIRE RIPPED through Gates, Oregon, on Labor Day 2020, Sam Drevo escaped with his life, his puppy, Eddy, and not much else. The house he and his mother lived in, a triplex and the restored historic building that housed his kayak school and rafting business all burned to the ground. Drevo, a photographer and river guide, lost 15,000 slides representing decades of work; his mother, a weaver, lost all her looms and textiles. Facing that much loss after fleeing flames just a quarter mile away was traumatic.
As rumors spread throughout the neighborhood that the fire was sparked by downed power lines, Drevo wanted to know what caused the destruction, and who was responsible. So he joined a class
