| We lost our homes in the wildfires of 2003 in | | | | didn't get accurate news. The only news that |
| Lake Arrowhead. It was a time that we just | | | | was real was of true videos capturing |
| didn't think we would ever get over. So to | | | | neighborhoods that burned. We actually saw |
| see homes burning once again in Lake | | | | our homes burning on the television news. We |
| Arrowhead and San Diego was a déjà | | | | knew at that moment that we were officially |
| vu. | | | | without a home. |
| | | | |
| At the time, it was heart wrenching to see | | | | It took over a week for the fire to be |
| everything we had go up in smoke. There was | | | | extinguished before we were able to return |
| nothing left in the ashes, absolutely | | | | home. When you lose your home to fire, there |
| nothing, except for a jar of pennies my son | | | | is something inside of you that insists you |
| was saving but we couldn't tell that they | | | | have to see the remains. |
| were pennies, as they had all melted into one | | | | |
| big heap of copper. | | | | When we turned onto our block, we couldn't |
| | | | even tell where one block ended and the next |
| From where all the houses had burned, it | | | | one began. The fire had taken our roads, our |
| looked like a nuclear war had come through. | | | | cars, and our animals. It had eaten |
| The fire randomly picked and chose which | | | | everything and left nothing. The ashes were |
| homes to take. Three hundred homes in our | | | | still warm after a week. It was a moonscape. |
| neighborhood had burned to the ground yet one | | | | |
| house across the street made it completely | | | | While we were there, a woman approached, |
| unscathed, and a few yards up the road a lone | | | | asking if this had been our home. We nodded |
| wooden playhouse had been spared. | | | | but just couldn't speak. She said she owned |
| | | | a rental in Lake Arrowhead and wondered if we |
| We lost everything. Our thirteen year old | | | | would like to live there until we figured out |
| family cat, Baby Ruth, perished in the fire. | | | | what we were going to do. Amazing. An |
| All of our physical memories like photos of | | | | angel (and many more angels) would come to |
| ancestors, my great grandma's rocking chair, | | | | our aid that day. When we arrived at the |
| a violin that had been played by my husband's | | | | rental home, someone we didn't even know had |
| great great grandfather; all of it gone. Yet | | | | already gone from neighborhood to |
| in spite of all the destruction, we felt very | | | | neighborhood asking if they would be willing |
| thankful. Our family was intact. | | | | to clean out their garages and give us |
| | | | anything we might need. That evening a huge |
| We lived next door to my parents who had a | | | | moving van pulled up full of new everything: |
| cute little mother-in-law house. Our | | | | clothes, dishes, bedding, beds, more than we |
| daughter could walk to Grandma's every day | | | | could have ever needed. Phone calls came |
| with it being only twenty yards away. Our | | | | from people with gift cards to grocery stores |
| homes were deep in the woods of Cedar Glen | | | | and clothing stores. It was truly |
| and even deeper in the stands of trees that | | | | incredible, the kindness that was offered us. |
| were dying from the bark beetle. The | | | | |
| unforgiving pest, which had already ravaged | | | | FEMA was a gem. Right after the fire they |
| forests from Colorado to Alaska, beetle had | | | | met us at a restaurant parking lot to fill |
| been attacking Lake Arrowhead and its | | | | out all the paperwork required to put money |
| surrounding communities for years. The | | | | in our hands as soon as possible. We |
| result of its ravenous consumption was | | | | expected maybe a week's worth of rent, or |
| millions of trees standing like matchsticks | | | | maybe some grocery money, but FEMA set us up |
| ready to fuel a fire unlike anyone could have | | | | with funds for everything we lost and |
| ever imagined. | | | | additional living money for six months. |
| | | | Again, the kindness and the help was |
| In mid October 2003, Lee and I were scheduled | | | | overwhelming. |
| for a number of lectures in the Midwest. We | | | | |
| decided to take my mom and our then four year | | | | It can be hard to look at the bright side |
| old daughter with us to the Colorado dates. | | | | when something like a fire uproots one's |
| Dad and our three teenagers stayed at home. | | | | life, but by concentrating on all the good |
| | | | and kindness offered from strangers, and by |
| On our way back from Colorado, our teenage | | | | concentrating on what you do have and what |
| daughter reached us by cell telling us there | | | | you can rebuild, will reduce some of the |
| was a fire up on the mountain. She was | | | | sting. |
| concerned. From the tightness in her voice, | | | | |
| we knew this was real. The "Big One" | | | | A house is just a thing, possessions are |
| everyone on the mountain had feared for so | | | | replaceable, and our memories are something |
| long had arrived. | | | | we brought with us and we can keep. The |
| | | | wildfires could never steal those from us. |
| Lake Arrowhead and the surrounding mountain | | | | |
| communities had just two escape routes, and | | | | Four years later we have seen firsthand that |
| they were inadequate in the best of | | | | even out of the darkest time, or impossible |
| circumstances. Lee called some colleagues at | | | | situation, that good can still peek through |
| the newspaper and some friends we knew at the | | | | and take the day. We had always wanted to |
| fire department. They related the | | | | live in Oregon and the 2003 fire gave us the |
| seriousness of the situation. There were | | | | freedom to do that. We are so grateful for |
| fires everywhere, and some were threatening | | | | our lives and especially grateful for all the |
| Big Bear and Cedar Glen. | | | | people who helped us through such a trying |
| | | | experience. |
| Evacuation was still voluntary, but the | | | | |
| firefighters said it would be wise to get out | | | | To those of you who may have lost a home in |
| now. We called our kids and Dad and told | | | | the wildfires in California, life will get |
| them to meet us at the bottom of the mountain | | | | better. It may be hard to believe or |
| at a local hotel for the night. No one | | | | understand right now, but in a few years you |
| expected the houses to burn. We assumed we'd | | | | will see and appreciate the fact that you |
| be back in our house within a few days. We | | | | have made it through. You will appreciate |
| left food out for Baby Ruth since she was | | | | your family all the more and will always hold |
| nowhere to be seen, and we commenced our | | | | a special place in your heart for the |
| waiting out the fire. | | | | kindness exhibited by all the volunteers who |
| | | | helped you through this trying time. And one |
| One of the problems when there is a fire is | | | | day, when you return to look at the place |
| that there are rarely accurate news reports. | | | | where your house once stood, in addition to |
| One report will swear that all the local | | | | the new signs of life and regrowth sprouting |
| businesses are totally wiped out, and then | | | | from the ground, you will have the memories |
| moments later another reporter on another | | | | that will keep you in good stead. Life |
| channel will be standing right in front of | | | | always regenerates itself. |
| them depicting them as perfectly fine. We | | | | |