As yet another traumatic, life changing event crosses our path, I find myself strangely calm. The word that seems to prevail is just "really?" I could not have even imagined a scenario that would include evacuation from our home due to a raging fire storm cresting the hill near our house.
A week ago today, I was still sleeping, taking advantage of a lazy Saturday morning. After a morning stroll on the internet and a catch up with my FB friends updates and a few rounds of "Words with Friends." I glanced out the window just after noon to see a large billow of smoke in the distant hills. It seems really far, but yet a little too close. Still though, it seemed small enough for a quick containment. The kids and I headed to a nearby shopping complex to grab some lunch. My son Brendan seemed overly concerned about the fire. It was early afternoon and he was already talking about us needing to pack up and evacuate. I was being more practical and wasn't really excited about spending money to stay in a hotel.
We decided to drive home down Garden of the God's road to get a closer look. We headed to 30th and then North. We drove up Flying W Ranch Rd. As we neared the top of the hill, we saw several police cruisers drive up to the intersection of Chuckwagon in what appeared to be the start of the manditory evacuation of everything South in the Mountain Shadows neighborhood. We agreed it was time to pack a few things. The initial reports on the TV seemed to indicate that we too were being evacuated so we really were hustling around the house trying to determine what "really matters" when faced with the choice of what to bring.
I told the kids that just about everything was replaceable and quite frankly, probably 75% of the clutter is my house is not even needed. I carried several big plastic tubs of photos (pre-digital) from the basement to the car as well one filled with old VHS family movies. Megan filled a big bag with her favorite beanie bears. Brendan and Evan were more practical and were packing clothes and just a few special items. I believe Evan limited his items to a single back pack.
Just as we completed packing up 2 of the cars, the news was backing off a bit on an evacuation order for our area. The kids still wanted to leave. I convinced them we would stay until we were told to leave. I was feeling better that we were "ready" to depart. I started trying to convince myself that a total destructive force would not be that devastating, I could rebuild and it would serve to clear out the clutter that had built around us over the last 20+ years. I think this was simply my own defensive response to justify the fear.
We spend the next few days awaking to a different site out the South windows of our home. The temps were over 100 and without AC, the house was hot and closing the windows was not an option. We ran the attic fan and some mornings awoke to a smoking aroma and itchy eyes. Evan decided to hang out with a friend North of town so it was just Brendan, Megan and I. Monday, Brendan headed to work and I saw that I really could not leave Megan in a potential evacuation zone while I headed to work, so I brought her with me to my office. She was able to spend Monday afternoon and Tuesday morning at our friends house East of the interstate and they were gracious enough to invite us all back if needed. I still didn't think it would be needed... really, I didn't.
Tuesday morning, Ryan, my oldest reported to the Drug court. He was out of treatment and went in for his penalty. He is back in jail now until there is space for him in one of the Salvation Army residential rehab programs. Tuesday afternoon, Megan was with me again at my office when we got the text from the news station at 1:48pm that all of Mountain Shadows and Peregrine North of Chuckwagon and west of Centennial was on a pre-evacuation. We are just to the east of this line. My son Brendan also called me with this news. As Megan and I headed home about 4:15, Brendan had just arrived home. Within 10 minutes, he was watching flames crest the hill and head down the mountain towards the neighborhood. It wasn't until I got to the orthodontists office on Delmonico for Megan's 4:30 appt. that I could really grasp the magnitude of what he was saying. Until I saw the flames myself, I really thought it was still pretty far away. at 4:45 he sent me a photo taken from our deck showing a thick orange smoky glow and flames on the hillside. We were headed to the house, but as we headed up Vindicator past the Junior High, the traffic just stopped. I took a few photos of smoke cresting the rocky boarder of Ute Valley Park to my left. It seemed to take forever until we reached the turn into our neighborhood. The sky was orange and hazy and breathing was not pleasant.
Our area was still not even on a pre-evacuation alert. At this point, we started grabbing more things, Evan's Xbox and games, Megan's little TV, a stack of files pulled from the basement drawer to include the birth certificates and car titles and such, all the car keys. My jewelry box containing nothing much of real value, but a few items with sentimental value. My CPAP machine, a few more clothes. I also found large stash of more family photos that I had forgotten all about and Alan's computer and hard drive of his photos. Just as we were about to leave, I told Megan to call the Watson's and ask if we could bring the cats. Even with allergies, they graciously agreed the cats could go in their laundry room. We had one small cat crate and we stuffed the other cat into a box with a makeshift holes. She made several get away attempts until we were finally able to get her in and tape the box shut.
I we drove out of the neighborhood, maybe about 6pm, I really thought we would not have a home to return to. Brendan and Megan were in the other car and I was all alone in mine with "Stuff" all around me. It was at this point that the magnitude of the situation and the adrenalin coursing through my body took over and I burst into tears. At that point, all the rationalizing I had done sort of went out the window. I realized I might never go back to that house and I was sure there were many things important we had left behind. At 6:53pm, the official reverse 911 hit my cell phone and email. We were still stuck in a slow moving traffic flow somewhere near Vindicator and Rockrimmon. The notice said, "This is the Colorado Springs Police Department with an important message. A mandatory evacuation order has been made for your residence. Please leave the area immediately.. Do not call nine one one... fire in your area is imminent." Waiting until it was 5:30am his time, at about 7pm, stopped in traffic, I called Alan in Afghanistan to let him know we had evacuated. His Colorado cell phone is forwarded to his email and he also received the reverse 911 email in Afghanistan, I am glad I called him before he saw that.
Last night at 8pm, the evacuation order was lifted. We went by the house in the dark to take a quick look. It is strangely normal and in the dark, it appeared to be fine. Much to my dismay, the house is still a mess and the clutter still prevails... darn! But, my house and my memories are still there. It was too dark to get a view of the destruction just outside our window but my heart breaks for my friends who's homes are gone, burned to the ground. Cheryl and Joan, you are in my thoughts, my heart is heavy for you. I am sure there are other's I know in a similar situation. This morning we saw a photo posted by friends on FB showing how close the fire came, there is a large patch of scorched earth on the Northern edge of Ute Valley Park, just across the street. We remain on a pre-evacuation for now so the "stuff" will stay in the car.
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