Silver City, Nevada - Watching the news this week about fires near Yosemite Valley and Redding made me remember all the fires I’ve seen in Silver City over the last few decades. It also reminded me of the kindness and bravery of everyone who responds to fires, from fire fighters and other first responders, to everyday folks who do what they can to help those affected by fire.
One of the first fires I witnessed in Silver City occurred in a ravine next to our house about 25 years ago. A child playing with fireworks accidentally set off a fire that quickly created a fire tornado spiraling straight up between our house and two other homes. After calling 911 and then alerting older neighbors with disabilities to make sure they had time to react, my husband began doing what he could with our garden hose. Our neighbor to the south used his garden hoses as well. Soon local volunteer fire fighter Austin Crouch arrived with the fire truck, leaping down and hitting the fire from above with a hose that helped halt the fire before it reached homes. My husband said the relief and gratitude he felt when he saw Austin arrive was indescribable.
The next fire I saw was about 19 years ago. It was a summer day, and I was up at 6a.m. with my newborn son, standing on the deck and watching the jackrabbits and quail in the yard. Just as I looked to the east, a pigeon landed on a power pole, burst into flames, and fell to ground, where the dry summer cheat grass immediately ignited. I ran to call 911, and asked my stepdaughters to go downstairs and tell my husband what was happening. While I was on the phone, he instructed the girls to go next door and make sure the neighbors were awake and aware of the fire. He then ran toward the fire, which was on an empty lot on a neighboring property, and began shoveling a fire break around the quickly spreading grass fire. He recalls that he knew this was a losing battle. But suddenly, he realized that someone else was there with him, also shoveling a fire break. Rattlesnake Dave, as he was known in town, had seen the smoke and ran to help. The two of them kept the fire from spreading until the fire truck arrived soon after and put the blaze out.
My family has witnessed several fires on and near Bear Mountain on the south west part of Silver City over the years as well. When my son was five or six years old, emergency workers came up our long driveway at around 2 a.m. in the morning to tell us to prepare to evacuate if a rapidly approaching fire jumped State Route 342 and came into Silver City. At the time, we let our son continue to sleep, planning to carry him to the car in his pajamas only if we really had to leave. We listened to fire reports while running through the house, packing for possible evacuation. We were lucky - the fire didn’t jump the highway and was put out before it reached any homes. But that experience helped me imagine what people go through when they actually do have to evacuate.
And finally, about five years ago, I was with artists hanging their work for an upcoming art show at the Dayton Valley Community Center when I got a call from my son that a fire was rapidly spreading on Bear Mountain in Silver City. At the time, both my son and my husband thought it would be put out quickly and urged me to stay put. Shortly after that, they called to say they were preparing to evacuate. They’d put our pets in carriers, and packed our car for evacuation. From our deck they could see an air attack on the fire that involved continual drops of water and fire retardant. At one point, a helicopter carrying a water bucket and an airtanker nearly collided directly above our deck. We all have a lasting respect for fire fighters after witnessing their skill, courage and endurance in halting that fire before it reached homes.
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