Power House Fire, Recovering From The Ashes

Today reality sets in for many homeowners who are returning to charcoal pits of total destruction in the mountain community of Lake Hughes. Homes  have been leveled to the ground with only masonry chimneys still remaining, as 1600 degree searing heat consumed everything they owned. Only little keepsakes are left, but mostly memories of sharing quality time  with family and friends around a brick or stone fire place and fond memories or much better days long ago. Or perhaps it was to reminisce about an off-roading adventure in old jeep exploring the surrounding forest. What ever the reflection I am sure it was painful introspection today.

As I made my way down to the Forestry Camp to help Garret today, I knew many of his possessions had burned, a favorite motorcycle, keepsakes, his tools and generators. However you can see his disposition had changed from when he left to go on a relaxing camp trip to when he came home to find his forestry camp and many of possessions destroyed by wildfire.

Just a day earlier I frantically sent him several text messages to return, but he and my daughter were just too far in the Kern River Canyon to receive the messages. Today we sifted through the ashes with the help of a fire camp crew, as helicopters whirled over head dropping water on hot spots on the ridges above the camp.

Just up the canyon several homeowners were doing the exact same thing, sifting through the ashes and rubble to find anything salvageable. This is a heavy burden to those who lost cherished mementos in the Power House fire just days earlier.

As for me, I shot pictures three days ago from high above Elizabeth Lake. I shot the column of smoke from the mountain top because on July 15, 1981 Forestry Fire Captain Gilbert Lopez died on the Elizabeth wildfire. Battalion Chief Steve Olson, a personal friend from Los Angeles County Fire Department was a new crewman at the time and he can recall the tragic event vividly.

There are markers placed on top of wood post at the entrapment site over looking Elizabeth Lake, one states leadership, the other, LCES, lookouts, communications, escape routes and safety zones. When the entrapment occurred a searing wind over swept the crew, much like it did two nights ago, now all that remain are wooden stobs of burnt manzanita and chamise and only one sign survived, the one marked leadership burned.

Every year I hike the site to pay my respects and to set my mind straight for the upcoming fire season. So it was with great respect I went to the site today. I could only imagine running from the head of a voracious wildfire all the while trying to out smart it and run to safety or clean air. I can imagine the great pain of loosing the Captain and dealing with the trauma years later. But in the tragedy many lessons were learned and things will once again return to normal.

The brush will grow back, homes will be rebuilt and lives will be restored to some form of normalcy, changed yes, but nonetheless restored. My life has been changed by fire numerous times, the ebb and flow of life is constantly changing, hopefully being forged for the better by fire.