When Michelle and William Herringer evacuated their home during the 2002 Missionary Ridge Fire, they thought they grabbed everything of importance.
Computers. Documents. Photographs.
The home burned mid-June, during the second week of the fire.
When the Herringers returned, they found two ceramic pots made by their daughter’s great-grandmother in honor of the girl’s birth. Firefighters placed a note underneath the pots that read: “We’re sorry we couldn’t save it.”
The Herringers had plenty of time to evacuate, yet they still missed items they wish they could have saved. The ceramic pots survived, but other possessions, such as Christmas ornaments, didn’t.
“We didn’t get everything out that we would have wanted,” said William Herringer, who is a 6th Judicial District judge. “Even though we were planning for the contingency that we might lose our house, we certainly didn’t expect it to happen.”
Some residents have little or no warning before they have to evacuate. Others have several days to prepare for the worst. Either way, people need to discuss a plan and have an idea about what they would save in the event of a wildfire, said Cindi Shank, director of the Southwest Colorado chapter of the American Red Cross.
“The most important thing people can do is prepare,” Shank said. “Don’t wait for the Sheriff’s Office or a firefighter to knock on your door and say it’s time to go.”
She recommends residents engage in a fun exercise: Think of 10 things you would save from fire.
Residents need to consider personal safety first and foremost, Shank said. Pets are important, but people need to be smart about providing for their animals.
She recalled one woman who let her dog outside to go to the bathroom before evacuating. The dog became spooked by the fire trucks and ran away. The woman was forced to leave the dog behind.
Firefighters ultimately retrieved the dog, but Shank advises residents to keep a leash handy in times of emergency.
“I have never seen somebody cry as hard as that lady did when she saw her dog,” she said.
If people have time, they should first consider the basics: pictures, computers, medications, prescription glasses and important papers – including birth certificates, marriage license, Social Security documents and a homeowner’s insurance policy.
“Know where those things are so you can grab them quickly,” Shank said.
Residents also should photograph every room of their house for insurance purposes. Allstate has a mobile app called Digital Locker that allows users to inventory personal property room by room.
“When the fire started, we took pictures of everything,” William Herringer said. “It wound up being a great idea.”
Residents in high fire-prone areas have been known to keep important items together so they can grab them quickly. Some keep home survival kits containing important supplies and information in the event of any emergency. Such bags can include food, water, extra medications and phone numbers.
“We don’t memorize (phone numbers) anymore,” Shank said. “If your cellphone is dead and you don’t have a charger, you can’t use them.”
Not everyone is equally concerned about wildfire. People who live in the city are less likely to worry about nature’s wrath compared with those who live in a dense forest.
Judy Winzell, who lives in Falls Creek Ranch, a heavily wooded subdivision north of Durango, said she keeps four “grab-and-go” bags packed at all times. One has shoes, several days’ worth of clothes and goggles and a breathing mask to deal with smoke. A second sits mostly empty near the sink in her bathroom, so she can sweep medications into it. The third is near her computer, loaded with chargers, telephone numbers and compact discs with important information, including an inventory of her house. The fourth is in her car and includes water, tow rope and first-aid kit.
“When you live up here, it has to be in the forefront of your mind,” Winzell said. “Every time you leave, you think, ‘OK, what if I’m in town and the fire hits, and I can’t get back?’ You have to have a contingency plan for what neighbor will get your pet out if you have a pet. Everybody looks out for each other up here in that regard.”
Winzell, who is a Firewise ambassador to Falls Creek Ranch – one of two subdivisions in this region with a national Firewise designation – said creating defensible space is one of the most important steps residents can take to prepare for wildfire.
“What I try to do is make my house a model for preparedness,” she said. “That’s an ongoing, everyday, nose-to-the-grindstone, got-to-get-it-done (job).”
K Redford, another Falls Creek resident, said she keeps many of her valued possessions in storage as a precaution to wildfire. She started doing so after the 2002 Valley Fire that started in the Falls Creek subdivision and consumed 10 homes in one afternoon.
Not everyone has to evacuate at a moment’s notice.
Jeri Trausch, who lived in Tween Lakes subdivision during the Missionary Ridge Fire, said she had an entire week to think seriously about evacuating. She put many possessions in her son’s house, but after the fire passed, she thought she was in the clear and started moving things back into her house.
The fire reared up one afternoon and destroyed her A-frame log home. Trausch lost antiques, house plants and photographs.
“My advice right now to anybody in those areas that are threatened is get a storage unit and put stuff in there,” she said. “Have an evacuation plan.”
Trausch did a lot of things right. She moved her horses to a safe pasture, saved her computer and saved most of her photographs. But she missed one box that contained childhood photos of her son and daughter. She also regrets missing some clothes.
“I missed all my dresses. I no longer have dresses,” she said. “I just grabbed everyday stuff, but I wish I grabbed the rest.”
People evacuate as a safety precaution; they don’t leave thinking their house will burn. When the fire strikes, they are surprised at the amount of destruction.
Trausch put some items inside a kiln that cooks pottery at 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit. She thought they would be safe, but even it did not protect her property.
“You can replace anything that is new,” she said. “It’s the old stuff you can’t replace. What will you miss? Anything you can buy and replace, you’re not going to miss.”
shane@durangoherald.com
