Here at Food for Thought, fire stories stack up via email, phone calls, comments and even forums, as happened here when Celeste White, our friend and yours, posted information about the Motion Fire.
Here is a sample of three days’ worth of local fire observations. We’ll begin with this Keswick-area resident’s July 12 account of conditions since she and her husband remained on their property after the late-June mandatory evacuation:
“I chose to stay. We have 125 acres with really good defensible space and a year-round creek on the west side, and we back up to the Sacramento River on the east.
“I have 30 head of cattle and poultry that I could not evacuate (we evacuated our six horses to friends in Old Shasta, and then re-evacuated them to Anderson a few nights ago).
“I’ve got solar and generators, so we are prepared for most contingencies. The hardest (part) has been that our main A/C blew up and we can’t get an electrician out due to hard road closures, and our propane ran out. The road has been closed for so long, no services are getting in to us. So I am down to the little gas generator, and we don’t have stove, hot water or clothes dryer, but we’re doing well, nonetheless.
“I am glad I’ve stayed.
“We only have three “neighbors,” but they are elderly, and most have homes built as mining claims by grandparents in the mid-1800s, so they are very attached. I’ve been keeping up on their places and am glad I can provide them with updates and reassure them that I am keeping their generators running, lawns and gardens watered, etc.
“It is a strange existence. I have only left our ranch twice in nearly three weeks. Yesterday was VERY bad as Motion Fire roared to the peak of Democrat Mountain, which is less than 1,000 feet from our home. I had cattle and dogs ready to push down to the Sacramento, and then the winds changed and it moved west out toward French Gulch.
“Crazy, surreal experience.
“Continue to be well and know that your site has become definitive source for info on Igo/Ono fires. Thanks for keeping that info out there.”
From Celeste White’s July 13 forum entry in Food for Thought, updating us about the fire status near her Rock Creek Road home. She and husband Richard were evacuated Wednesday:
“… Just wanted to tell anyone who might be interested that the backfires on Benson Rd went well today. It’s possible that another one might be planned for tonight (talked to the guys at the checkpoint at Iron Mtn Rd and Rock Creek Rd) so there is still a hard closure in place.
“They were hopeful that a soft closure might go into effect for Rock Creek, Iron Mtn Rd, and Granite Rd (and tributaries) in the next day or two.
“Evidently only one outbuilding has been lost and one house damaged by the fire. Pretty amazing when you think about how fierce and wild the fire was on Friday. And a spot fire got started on Whispering Pines yesterday that grew to 85 acres before being contained. No structures lost there, either.
“One of our neighbors who didn’t evacuate told us about seeing a giant, whirling column of fire hurtling down Benson Rd on Friday during the fire storm. He and his wife were seconds before leaving when the wind changed, the fire tornado collapsed and the bombers moved in. I’m sure there are going to be some amazing stories once everyone has a chance to tell them. For now, things are looking good. Whew.”
And from Mel, a bashful Igo neighbor, a July 14 fire-update email:
“(Learned from) our houseguest (displaced Zogg Mine couple) that the plan now is a back burn on the whole mountain to stop the Motion Fire from coming here in Igo, or further into Redding.
“How sad that the four yahoos complained (on KRCR news) about the Bud truck not being let through. Funny, really, because (my husband) and I were down in the pasture getting hoses to take up to the house (we were prepared to get all the generators going to put enough pressure that we would have enough water to power the sprinklers on the house, guest house, barns and out buildings).
“I looked up and saw a truck and said, “Gee, I wonder if they are going to let the Bud truck through?”
“That day they did.
“And two days later they were going to be out of beer???
“How sad a statement that makes about Igo. Our guests are gone, as are all the horses and donkeys that were here for the short stay.
“What fun to feed them carrots, knowing it was only for a few days.
“Life is returning back to normal here in Igo.”
