MOC Day 11
carrie1977, Jan 11, 2021
Description:
Write It! More Papers and Elements by Paula Kesselring
Europa Worn Photos by Lynn Grieveson
Mixed Media Monthly - October 18 by Rachel Jefferies, Little Butterfly Wings, Lynn-Marie Favreau & Paula Kesselring


We were at the cabin for Labor Day weekend. We arrived on Friday evening per usual. We had a nice dinner with Grandma and Grandpa and Boogie. We hung out for a bit outside since it was beautiful out. Then we went to bed.

We woke up the next morning and Grandpa got up early to take Chuckie for his morning walk. He came back and said he could see a smoke plume up the hill. He wasn’t quite sure where it was located but to be able to see it at five o’clock in the morning it had to be a large plume.

We cooked breakfast and were just hanging out on the porch. We couldn’t see any smoke from the cabin but it was starting to smell of smoke. We knew there was a fire somewhere nearby. Soon we started to get phone calls letting us know that there was a fire in Big Creek about 8 miles from Shaver Lake. Most reports that we received said the fire was headed the opposite direction so there was no cause for alarm just yet. We kind of discussed leaving but figured we’d wait a bit before making any decisions to stay or go.

After an hour or so we received differing reports. Some said that the fire was headed towards Shaver Lake. Some said the fire was headed the opposite direction. We now could smell the smoke and were getting some small ashes falling from the sky. The electricity to our development went out. Our cabin has a backup generator so we would have been ok to stay but we decided that it was probably best to evacuate ourselves since we know fire is so unpredictable and we didn’t really want to be stuck in the mountains with no way out or with hundreds of others evacuating. As we were packing our things up in our vehicles we could see Cal Fire planes and water droppers hovering over us. Most likely they were using water from the lake in their fire fight. Once we saw those in the sky we knew we were making the right decision to leave. We’ve all seen those nightmare videos of people that waited too long to evacuate and were stuck driving alongside flames. We didn’t want to be one of those stories.

We spoke with some of the other owners in the development that were leaving. Most were leaving because of the power outage. Others were leaving because they thought it was just the best decision to do so. As we said goodbye to one another and started driving away we started to feel a little scared that this could be the very last time we see the cabin. You just never know.

As we headed down the mountain there were more cars than usual leaving at once. The four lane was packed with cars. We were stuck in that line of cars for quite a while. Heading up the mountain were a lot of Cal-Fire vehicles – water tenders and engines. There were also engines from other cities in the area – including Clovis and Fresno engines. We knew once we saw all of the vehicles heading up it wasn’t a good thing.

This was just the start of the nightmare that was named The Creek Fire. It burned 379,895 acres and was declared 100% contained on December 24, 2020. The Creek Fire was the fourth-largest wildfire and the largest single source fire in California history. The cause of the fire is still under investigation. It destroyed at least 856 buildings.

We are very, very fortunate to still have our cabin intact. We owe it all to the heroic fire fighters that worked tirelessly to protect as much of the town of Shaver Lake that they could. Only two structures in Shaver were lost. We will never be able to fully express our gratitude.
crazycat1126 likes this.
    • nfenchak
      So terrifying!! I love your page and your journaling gave me chills!
      carrie1977 likes this.
    • garrynkim
      Wow! You are blessed to still have that cabin intact! I am so glad the fire fighters worked so hard to save that town. Scary, but great layout!
      carrie1977 likes this.
    • LynnG
      Wow, what a story. Amazing take on the challenge
      carrie1977 likes this.
    • Angela Toucan
      well done.
      carrie1977 likes this.
    • flowersgal
      What a frightening episode to be a part of. I like your photos and especially the bottom one showing the flames. You are truly blessed that the cabin survived. California has been hard hit with fire and much property destroyed in the last few years. Your personal experience is well documented in your layout.
      carrie1977 likes this.
    • michelepixels
      So scary! I'm glad you didn't wait any longer and that your cabin community made it through. Your page colors, the old book element, the shadows . . . fantastic!
      carrie1977 likes this.
    • Saar
      Wow Carrie... what a story! I'm glad to read you are all okay and that you still have your cabin. But I can imagine you were scared.
      You scrapped your story beautifully though. I love that you have photos to show with your story.
      carrie1977 likes this.
    • StefanieS
      Thanks so much for sharing this powerful story so beautifully.
      carrie1977 likes this.
    • bestcee
      I love how you talk about the reasons behind the decision to leave, as well as the little details like lines of cars. Those fires were scary! There were so many we could see all the smoke in Vegas. I'm glad your cabin fared okay! Thanks for playing in my challenge!
      carrie1977 likes this.
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  • Category:
    Month of Challenges 9
    Uploaded By:
    carrie1977
    Date:
    Jan 11, 2021
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    Comment Count:
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