We thought getting caught in United Airlines’ Aug. 6 ground stop and spending a sleepless night in the airport tracking down our luggage (which was somehow states away) would be our biggest headache of the week.
Boy, were we wrong.
Just days later, right before catching our return flight home, we received word of a fire in Aspen Springs. We quickly made arrangements to get information out to the public before losing service for the duration of our flight.
By the time our flight landed in Denver, we, like many others, were under pre-evacuation orders. Thanks to the ability to message for free on our flight, we were able to make arrangements to have our pet and necessities picked up should we be evacuated before making it home. With the reports we were hearing of the erratic wind and an out-of-control fire, we hoped we’d have a home to go back to that night.
At the same time, our hearts sank for those who had already been evacuated and were left to wonder what they would be able to go home to and when, and those who have struggled to have fire insurance due to the risk that comes with living in this beautiful place.
But, we were comforted by the fact that, in our opinion, we have some of the best fire managers around, hands down. They, including Sheriff Mike Le Roux and Emergency Operations Commander Roy Vega Jr., among others, have an incredible wealth of knowledge and experience when it comes to fire, emergency management and our area.
That knowledge and experience has been on full display in dealing with the Oak Fire, as has been the knowledge and experience of more than 100 personnel and resources from here and elsewhere.
We’ve heard reports from fellow community members who were impressed with how quickly a number of emergency vehicles headed in the direction of the fire after it started and how quickly resources from elsewhere began arriving to help tackle it given the risk to so many homes and other values.
If not for the hard, tireless work of every single person who had a hand in combatting this fire, we could be in a very different position today than we are.
While we acknowledge we have community members who will likely continue to be displaced as they repair their homes and the work is far from over, we are so grateful for how little damage was done.
Instead of having community members return home Wednesday, we could have thousands still evacuated and be a national headline due to destruction.
We simply can’t thank everyone who worked the Oak Fire — whether from the ground, the air, helping evacuees or in an administrative role — enough for their amazing and efficient response.
We continue to urge everyone to be diligent. We’ve now seen firsthand the fire danger in our area and the fact that we can be next.
Randi Pierce
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