Black Forest Fire

On June 4th, I took the first of five classes from the Hillside Center.  I had waited two years to take them and was so excited to learn these specifics techniques on teaching children with dyslexia how to read.  Monday's class was intense but I learned so very much.

On June 5th, I went to class. I went outside at lunch time to sit in the grass and enjoy the sunshine.  I was unable to stay outside because the wind was so strong and it was so hot outside.  The other problem was that there was a strong smell of smoke in the air.  I called Tom and asked if everything was alright.  He said yes, but I had a weird feeling that something wasn't right.  I returned to my class in the afternoon and got a text from Tom around 3pm stating that there was a fire in Black Forest and that it looked really bad.  The winds and dryness were causing the fire to be almost impossible to fight.  By 4:00, when I headed home, Tom called and told me that our friends, the Selgado's, were being evacuated and needed a place to go. We invited them to come and stay with us.  I had no idea that they had three dogs (for a total of 5 in the house), 2 guinea pigs (for a total of 4 in the house), a rat, and a lizard.  Not to mention four teenagers for a total of 6 in the house. It was hot and we do not have air conditioning.  I just kept thinking that I was so very lucky to have a home when they may not.  I really had to suck it up when one of my own children put the lizards lamp face down on my carpet and burned a hole in it.  Of course the hole in the carpet is right in the middle of the living room.  Needless to say, Tom and I were a little stressed, but we made it work and the kids loved it. We had to close the windows at night because of the smoke coming in the house.  So hot.

On June 6trh, I had to go to class as D20 had paid a lot of money for me to attend the classes.  I thought it would be a way to get my mind off of things.  It did and I finished the HillRap section of my class.  When I got home we still had company, but I made spaghetti and we waited to see what the fire would do.  I continued to burn and get closer and closer to the Selgado home.  People in Black Forest were losing their homes.  The fire would shift directions as the strong winds came and went. We sat outside and watched the helicopters carry water and air tankers drop fire retardent into the burning area.  Later that evening, WE were placed on pre-evacuation status.  The fear was that if the fire jumped Highway 83, we were in danger.  New Life Church had been serving as an evacuation shelter, but was evacuated.  I took a car load of our most valuable belongings over to Deb and Doug's for safe keeping.  This was just in case we got evacuated. The smoke was terrible.  We went to bed that night even more nervous than the day before. Now it was our turn to be scared.

On June 7th, Tom stayed home from work with our guests, but I went to class and began the HillWrite section.  It was hard to concentrate as I had had little sleep for two nights.  The smoke was awful and we knew that when the winds picked up around 2 or 3 in the afternoon, we might be in danger.  Three o'clock came and sure enough, we were evacuated.  We later learned that we were actually on pre-evacuation status but the mandatory evacuation line was only a few streets away.  Tom texted me that we were being evacuated.  I told the teacher of the class that I would not be attending the next day.  She gave me special permission to make up the class in January.  I lost it and got all teary while I waited for Tom to pick me up.  I was so embarrassed.  The Selgado's went to another home.  Laura went to the Spirio's with our dogs.  Tom, Becca, myself, our two guinea pigs, and our two cats all went to Deb and Doug's.  We were restless and I am so very grateful to Deb and Doug for letting us stay with them.  Deb was in Virginia visiting her daughter, so Tom and I made ourselves at home with Doug. 

On June 8th, the fire lines held and around 1 in the afternoon we got a brief shower.  That shower seemed to turn the tables and give the firemen just what they needed to get ahead of the monster and get it contained.  The fire did not cross 83 and around 5 pm, the mandatory evacuation in our neighborhood was lifted.  We went home that night.  So very grateful to our friends and so grateful that we had a home to come home to.  We slept so well that night. 

On June 9th, the fire was more and more contained.  I do believe there are still spots burning even now as I write this, but it is 100% contained.  The Selgado home was spared, but some in the Black Forest were not so lucky.  All total 511 homes were destroyed and two people lost their lives.  Those two were trying to evacuate when it was too late. When they lifted their garage door to leave, the oxygen surge caused their garage to blow up. 

Once again, our community has come together.  Once again I am so proud of the people in our area.  We have proved that we are strong and that God is good.  I have started a quilting group that is meeting at my home on Tuesdays.  We are making quilts for those who have lost their homes.  There are so many things like this that are happening right now.  Waldo Canyon fire was last year.  This year it was Black Forest.  I truly pray that next year we do not have a fire.