What would you take with you if you thought you might never see your home again?
Thousands of people were faced with that question recently as fires blazed across the U.S. West Coast.
Thousands of people were faced with that question recently as fires blazed across the U.S. West Coast.
We asked our readers to tell us about their experiences. We heard from people all the way from Santa Rosa, California, to Seattle, Washington.
Here are their stories 👇 Thank you for sharing them with us.
Here are their stories 👇 Thank you for sharing them with us.
.@TonTonsArtisana owns multiple businesses in Talent, Oregon.
When he left his home in Ashland on September 8, he didn’t realize he might not make it back.
He evacuated with clothing 👕, his cat 🐱, a medkit 🩹, firearms 🔫, and backup ammunition.
When he left his home in Ashland on September 8, he didn’t realize he might not make it back.
He evacuated with clothing 👕, his cat 🐱, a medkit 🩹, firearms 🔫, and backup ammunition.
.@Ameyerfilms had 35 minutes to evacuate his home in Santa Rosa, California. He grabbed his running shoes and foam roller 👟
‘Though they're easily replaceable, there was something that called out to me because it's part of who I am.'
Austin and his family are back home, safe
‘Though they're easily replaceable, there was something that called out to me because it's part of who I am.'
Austin and his family are back home, safe
.@Zack_Kalinowski lost his home and dog during the 2018 Paradise wildfires.
When he left for work, the fire was 8 miles away. ‘All I had were the clothes on my back and my car.’
He wrote in Facebook groups looking for his dog. Someone made him a commemoratory painting 👇
When he left for work, the fire was 8 miles away. ‘All I had were the clothes on my back and my car.’
He wrote in Facebook groups looking for his dog. Someone made him a commemoratory painting 👇
Chris Finke and his family watched through their window as a plume of smoke grew in the distance. As it got closer, the kids started packing.
They took a movie projector they had just bought to use in their backyard 📽, a piggy bank shaped like a kitten 🐱 and their homework 📚
They took a movie projector they had just bought to use in their backyard 📽, a piggy bank shaped like a kitten 🐱 and their homework 📚
Summer Wilms evacuated with old travel journals 📔, two pet cats 🐈, and a Jack Russell Terrier named Cricket 🐕.
‘When it's really smoky it's kind of like a bear in the fog,’ she said of the fire. ‘You can't see it, but you know it's there.’
‘When it's really smoky it's kind of like a bear in the fog,’ she said of the fire. ‘You can't see it, but you know it's there.’
When Sally Schott and her husband evacuated their Medford, OR, home for two days in September, they were ‘prepared to lose everything.’
They took some snacks 🥜, a suitcase with basic items 💼, and four coins Schott won in a bridge tournament in Switzerland in 1975 🪙.
They took some snacks 🥜, a suitcase with basic items 💼, and four coins Schott won in a bridge tournament in Switzerland in 1975 🪙.
Joyce Chapman of Shady Cove, Oregon, watched the local media briefings and reported them for her Facebook followers: ‘It relieved me because at least I had direct information that I could really understand.’
She brought her framed marriage certificate 📜, dog food, and papers 📋
She brought her framed marriage certificate 📜, dog food, and papers 📋
‘On our way out of town, everything I knew was on fire,’ said @JTyler82.
Thinking they’d be home in a few days, they left their photos and family heirlooms. The family made it out with their two cats 🐱 🐈
Thinking they’d be home in a few days, they left their photos and family heirlooms. The family made it out with their two cats 🐱 🐈
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