ANOTHER WILD FIRE
Walt Disney World vacation became a reality after nearly a year of canceled vacations and we had a blast. 10 days with Mickey. Star Wars weekends at Hollywood Studios, padiwa training, one on one light saber battles with Darth Maul, safari tours, turtle talk, Soarin, etc... couldn't have asked for a nicer trip... until the voice messages started last wednesday night. "Call me back asap", "it's not about work but I really need to talk to you", "call your mother", and then, "did you know there's a fire?" We live in a wild fire area and we have our fire or two annually, something you become accustomed to, but nothing could have prepared us for what we were about to go through. We slept well wednesday night as the fire was nowhere near us.
By thursday the winds had shifted and the fire headed straight up the canyon on our road. 200 ft high flames, we heard there was fire in the clouds, the fire had created it's own weather, 1/3 of the town was evacuated and the fire line crept ever closer to our little town. Thursday night the voice messages were much more frantic, one being from our college age house sitter wanting to know what to do. We told her to take the dog and go! Everything that was important was in Florida with us besides Guss.
By friday morning, our house was described to us through news information and relayed conversations with friends as being behind the fire line. Everyone thought our house was gone and we were coming to terms with the fact that it may be the case. Devastated that we didn't even have a chance to pack anything I couldn't and wouldn't discuss the potential losses and hubby had that made very clear. We boarded a plane that morning and spend 4 hours on the phone on the layover in Denver trying to collect information, determine what was credible and started making plans. The town had all roads closed coming in and only one open going out. Our road was closed. No hotels available within hours of home so we started to drive to the coast to my in-laws. At least we knew we had a place to go and could leave G there as long as we needed to while we tended to what was left for us. Power had been out, no phone lines working, everyone we talked to saying everything but what they were really thinking being that our house was likely gone. My father in law with his connections had water line and caltrans maps out and watching everything unfold and verified what we were hearing about the fire line having pasted us.
Saturday morning the road closures were lifted for the majority of the town and they could return home. My road was open to residents with proof of address only but it was open and we were going home. 5.5 hours later we come up on the tiny town we call home. We called home and got the answering machine so we knew we had power and at least one standing wall left which was a positive sign. The hills couldn't be seen through the smoke. A turn to our road off the freeway and we immediately saw black. The Sheriff''s deputies met us, proof of idea was provided, our car tagged and we were warned that "there are a lot of destroyed homes up there." You could see it in their faces. Just like everyone else wouldn't say, we knew what they were thinking. 11 miles from the turn off to our house. It was a very long drive. Taking pictures all the way up, we started to near the first houses outside of town. Every one of them burned to the ground. Nothing left. We approached city limits, our house one block ahead and everything around gone.... slowly we came around the bin and we spotted a house here and there still standing and then we pulled into our drive.
There was our house, seemingly untouched. How could it be that our home was still standing amongst all that were lost? There were obvious signs that fire crews had been there. Our back gate open, our ladders up against the house, hoses scattered around, lawn furniture moved under the house, outdoor curtains tied up, bbq moved onto the lawn (see backyard pic), water and gatorade bottle in our recycle bin and most noticeably, caterpillar tracks all the way across the wrap around drive dug into the asphalt and newly poured gravel drive. It looked as though our house was a staging area. We walked around the house and found no damage other than a little chip of concrete drive where the cat had come through. Ash, pieces of other individuals house, burned branches were everywhere we looked but nothing that belonged to us. We were in utter shock.
Once home, we were able to start reading online and got our hands around the real magnitude of what had taken place just 2 days prior. We knew we were the lucky ones. 4th house up on our side of the street still standing, the 3rd on the otherside... or so we thought...
Later that evening we were upstairs looking out our deck at the area below us and the corner of our property at the main road and spotted a blackened patch across the side street (see the middle bottom of the pic). We took a walk and found that the fire had burned right up to the side street, approximately 30 yards from our fence.
We began to appreciate even more how lucky we were and shared with family and friends that the fire was much closer than we originally thought. I wouldn't let hubby unpack the suitcases. I didn't sleep well that night.
Father's day the power went out so hubby and I decided to venture out of the house into town. As we pulled out our driveway we spotted a 2x2ft blacked patch of ground at our mailbox on the street. The fire had made it to our property. That caused us both to gasp and then we drove and found what the true fire line was actually across the street and houses up. Destroyed homes, pasture... the fire had actually gone around our house and continued...
The fire was finally reported as 100% contained yesterday evening. 23,344 acres burned, 74 residences destroyed, 20 damaged, 55 engines, $13.4 million to fight, 3,826 firefighters, 1/3 of the 26,000 residents evacuated off the ridge... the majority of the homes lost were in my neighborhood. See the slideshow... http://www.khsltv.com/mostpopular/story.aspx?content_id=d8b20fe6-3104-48d5-8fe4-da2001328dfd
I haven't slept in 2 days and am experiencing survivors guilt. Here I am sitting here playing on my computer while so many around me are suffering so much. The devastation is beyond words and has to be seen every time I leave the house. Crews were busy at work replacing power and phone lines, insurance adjusters were out at the destroyed properties, the bulldozers have begun the cleanup stage... life is continuing as we have been reminded that we are just the little people here on this earth...
By thursday the winds had shifted and the fire headed straight up the canyon on our road. 200 ft high flames, we heard there was fire in the clouds, the fire had created it's own weather, 1/3 of the town was evacuated and the fire line crept ever closer to our little town. Thursday night the voice messages were much more frantic, one being from our college age house sitter wanting to know what to do. We told her to take the dog and go! Everything that was important was in Florida with us besides Guss.
By friday morning, our house was described to us through news information and relayed conversations with friends as being behind the fire line. Everyone thought our house was gone and we were coming to terms with the fact that it may be the case. Devastated that we didn't even have a chance to pack anything I couldn't and wouldn't discuss the potential losses and hubby had that made very clear. We boarded a plane that morning and spend 4 hours on the phone on the layover in Denver trying to collect information, determine what was credible and started making plans. The town had all roads closed coming in and only one open going out. Our road was closed. No hotels available within hours of home so we started to drive to the coast to my in-laws. At least we knew we had a place to go and could leave G there as long as we needed to while we tended to what was left for us. Power had been out, no phone lines working, everyone we talked to saying everything but what they were really thinking being that our house was likely gone. My father in law with his connections had water line and caltrans maps out and watching everything unfold and verified what we were hearing about the fire line having pasted us.
Saturday morning the road closures were lifted for the majority of the town and they could return home. My road was open to residents with proof of address only but it was open and we were going home. 5.5 hours later we come up on the tiny town we call home. We called home and got the answering machine so we knew we had power and at least one standing wall left which was a positive sign. The hills couldn't be seen through the smoke. A turn to our road off the freeway and we immediately saw black. The Sheriff''s deputies met us, proof of idea was provided, our car tagged and we were warned that "there are a lot of destroyed homes up there." You could see it in their faces. Just like everyone else wouldn't say, we knew what they were thinking. 11 miles from the turn off to our house. It was a very long drive. Taking pictures all the way up, we started to near the first houses outside of town. Every one of them burned to the ground. Nothing left. We approached city limits, our house one block ahead and everything around gone.... slowly we came around the bin and we spotted a house here and there still standing and then we pulled into our drive.
There was our house, seemingly untouched. How could it be that our home was still standing amongst all that were lost? There were obvious signs that fire crews had been there. Our back gate open, our ladders up against the house, hoses scattered around, lawn furniture moved under the house, outdoor curtains tied up, bbq moved onto the lawn (see backyard pic), water and gatorade bottle in our recycle bin and most noticeably, caterpillar tracks all the way across the wrap around drive dug into the asphalt and newly poured gravel drive. It looked as though our house was a staging area. We walked around the house and found no damage other than a little chip of concrete drive where the cat had come through. Ash, pieces of other individuals house, burned branches were everywhere we looked but nothing that belonged to us. We were in utter shock.
Once home, we were able to start reading online and got our hands around the real magnitude of what had taken place just 2 days prior. We knew we were the lucky ones. 4th house up on our side of the street still standing, the 3rd on the otherside... or so we thought...
Later that evening we were upstairs looking out our deck at the area below us and the corner of our property at the main road and spotted a blackened patch across the side street (see the middle bottom of the pic). We took a walk and found that the fire had burned right up to the side street, approximately 30 yards from our fence.
We began to appreciate even more how lucky we were and shared with family and friends that the fire was much closer than we originally thought. I wouldn't let hubby unpack the suitcases. I didn't sleep well that night.Father's day the power went out so hubby and I decided to venture out of the house into town. As we pulled out our driveway we spotted a 2x2ft blacked patch of ground at our mailbox on the street. The fire had made it to our property. That caused us both to gasp and then we drove and found what the true fire line was actually across the street and houses up. Destroyed homes, pasture... the fire had actually gone around our house and continued...
The fire was finally reported as 100% contained yesterday evening. 23,344 acres burned, 74 residences destroyed, 20 damaged, 55 engines, $13.4 million to fight, 3,826 firefighters, 1/3 of the 26,000 residents evacuated off the ridge... the majority of the homes lost were in my neighborhood. See the slideshow... http://www.khsltv.com/mostpopular/story.aspx?content_id=d8b20fe6-3104-48d5-8fe4-da2001328dfd
I haven't slept in 2 days and am experiencing survivors guilt. Here I am sitting here playing on my computer while so many around me are suffering so much. The devastation is beyond words and has to be seen every time I leave the house. Crews were busy at work replacing power and phone lines, insurance adjusters were out at the destroyed properties, the bulldozers have begun the cleanup stage... life is continuing as we have been reminded that we are just the little people here on this earth...
posted by Laura at 7:23 PM
1 Comments:
I see there are evacuations again there now. I pray you are well and you don't have to go through this again...
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