Beetlecat and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

On Monday, December 4th, around 7:30pm, I was watching tv with my 4-year-old daughter, relaxing from the day’s work, and mentally preparing for sending her to bed so that I can phone chat with Farouthere (who was away on business) and maybe play some games until my own bedtime.
 

**BANG BANG BANG!** 

There was an urgent knock at the door. I answered to see what appeared to be.. a fireman??

“Have you heard about the evacuation?”

“uh.. no?”

“Well there’s a fire nearby. Look to your left”

I step out and look and see a deep orange glow in the otherwise dark sky. 

!!!

“Ya Get your family and your pets and go.”

“.. where do I go??”

“Just start driving to the right and follow the rest of the cars”

“…”

---

And that’s how it started for me. The Thomas fire (which is still ongoing at this time so final statistics and reasons for the fire are not available) started only a few miles from my house. Which to me still seems insane.. I understand fire is a California constant, but, as a more recent transplant to this country, I really had never thought it could come up to my own doorstep. Or indeed start there.

Of everything that happened last week, that’s what I’ll most remember. Most personal accounts I’ve read of wildfire talk about the worry as it creeps closer, packing up the car and being ready to evacuate on a moment's notice, obsessively watching the news on edge waiting for that phone call.

For me it was much more sudden with no chance to worry or prepare. A split second transition from ‘regular life’ to a surge of [what is happening?/where do I go?/what do I take?/how long do I have to pack?/Who do I call?]. 

I took what seemed important (documents, computer, kid, 3 cats (in two carriers), a few clothes and some snack food) and left. 

I spent that first (very late) night in a hotel (with no power as the fire quickly knocked out the grid) obsessively looking through my dying phone for news of the fire. Watching it creep closer as a bright orange glow filling most of the night sky. 

After that, I stayed with family several hours north and (once news of the house still standing reached me) I packed up for the third time & drove back home.

We were incredibly lucky, although the fire had come RIGHT up to the backyard and burned all of our surrounding hills clear (it is still very odd to drive up and see only black & bare dirt where what used to be brush & grass), the local firefighters were able to prevent it from burning our house or any of our neighbourhood. 

The air quality was pretty bad for a while and there was a lot to clean up (still is) but the danger has passed and it’s unlikely another fire will come through here like that any time soon.

The town is now plastered in children’s hand-written thank you signs - which is really uplifting to see (especially considering the alternatives).

Although we and all of our neighbours were saved, the Thomas fire is still ongoing. It has burned 230 000 acres of land (making it the fifth largest in California history), destroyed nearly 800 structures, and damaged over 150 more. Although it is now controlled HERE it still remains 85% uncontrolled and my heart breaks for everyone that has lost everything and everyone that is still evacuated or in danger.

For my part, this fire was an experience I won’t soon forget. And I hope to carry some lessons with me.

Such as the fact that YES it can happen to me. And YES I need to have an evacuation plan for myself, my family, and all of the pets. And I need an emergency plan for my business. If I lost everything right now, how would I recover. WOULD I recover? 

On the more uplifting side, I do feel a bit stronger. Knowing that I kept everyone under my charge safe and relatively happy and I feel I have a bit more experience now for if something similar happens in the future. And I now know that I TRULY need to prepare for that situation.

I also realized just how many friends I have willing to open their hearts and doors to us and, if the worst had happened, we would have been taken care of and sheltered and I’m very grateful for that visible outpouring of care.

To end, I am attaching a few of the photos I took along my journey. I wish I had more to really show the extent of the destruction and power but I had very little time/opportunity for amazing shots so I hope some of the scope shows through regardless.

Stay safe everyone!