OSU lineman's dad battles the blaze

Oregon State offensive lineman Nick Suing's dad is fighting the Riverside Fire on the front lines in Clackamas County.

Chris lueneburg kezi 9 news firefighter families are also being impacted.

Kezi 9 news reporter julian mininsohn spoke with an oregon state football player whose dad is battling the blaze in clackamas county.

Osu lineman nick suing said he didn't expect the fires to spread the way they have.

But when his dad was called to fight the flames of the riverside fire in clackamas county...things became very real for nick and his family.

(nick suing) "just knowing he is out there.

Not knowing what could happen.

Anything really could happen."

The riverside fire in clackamas county has burned more than 130-thousand acres as of this morning.

Nick's dad shawn is in the middle of it all.

(nick) "i just figured he was going to be gone at least a week or so.

" shawn has been with the tualatin fore department for more than 20 years.

Nick says even he hasn't seen fires like this.

(nick) "i texted him one of the nights.

He said 'i'm back out on another fire.

It's crazy out here.'" nick says it's nerve- racking for the family, especially for his mom.

(nick) "she's obviously really nervous.

This morning when she heard my dad was getting sent off to clackamas county she was pretty nervous.

But she's holding up pretty well.

But it's not something they haven't felt before.

Nick's grandpa was also a firefighter for the tualatin fire department.

And his brother is in the middle of training.

(nick) "a lot of people are always asking me if i'm going to follow in my grandpa's, dad's and brother's footsteps.

We will see."

Right now nick is comfortable with leading the osu offensive line.

But he says it's nothing compared to what his dad does at the firelines.

(nick) "i think it's cool to say he is out there helping these communities.

Unfortunately they haven't been able to save all the communities from fires and there's been a lot of devastation with that.

There's also a lot of good stories of them saving people's homes and protecting people from the fires."

Nick also posted a video on the beaver football twitter account giving words of encouragement to all the firefighters and first responders.

He says being in a fireifghter family, little things like that go a long way.

Reporting live in the studio, julian mininsohn,