Fire

This past weekend marked the 4 year anniversary of the Witch Creek Fire which devastated many lives, ours included.  This tragic event has changed us in countless ways. 

Before the fire, we lived in a beautiful, sprawling Spanish hacienda with wraparound balconies and picturesque views.  Our two children were thriving at Light & Life Christian School and taking music lessons.  In spite of the warm weather, our Halloween decorations were out and we were making plans to spend Thanksgiving at a cabin in Big Bear.  Little did we know.

On Saturday, October 20, 2007, we went to a dinner party and had a fabulous evening with good friends.  It was the last carefree Saturday evening I would experience for a long time.

On the morning of Sunday, October 21, there was an ominous smell of smoke in the air.  Talking on the phone with my friend, I mentioned casually there must be a fire somewhere and our thoughts moved to the devastating Cedar Fire from four years earlier.  That fire had burned her brother’s house and come dangerously close to her own.

By Sunday evening, the Witch Creek Fire turned into a blazing inferno, moving swiftly down the mountain from Julian to Ramona.  We watched the news nervously and had a hard time sleeping due to the 100 mile per hour winds howling furiously around our house, the scraping of patio furniture across the balcony, and wind chimes clanging wildly.  From our bedroom window, we could see an eerie glow behind the distant mountain.

In the early morning hours of Monday, October 22, I was startled to see the distant glow had turned into giant flames marching down the mountain.  The sight was mesmerizing; frightening and magnificent at the same time.  At 4 AM, we received the reverse 911 call instructing us to evacuate.  We fled to a nearby high school and sat watching as a blood red sun rose to illuminate black clouds moving toward us.  The temperatures soared into the 90’s that day and the smoke filled air burned our eyes and made it hard to breathe.  Fearing for the safety of our kids and pets, we drove toward Temecula to find a hotel.  We got as far as Fallbrook when raging flames and billowing plumes of black smoke reached across the freeway and forced us to turn around and find an alternate route.  The roads were clogged with hundreds of evacuees just like us and what should have been a 40 minute drive turned into a grueling 5 ½ hour ordeal.

Our house burned to the ground on October 23, 2007.  As our roof crashed and burned, so did our way of life, our hopes and dreams.  Sometimes tragedies bring families closer together; other times they tear people apart.