Heroism, Kindness, and Sharpened Sticks
David Molina
On a hot, windy summer’s day, Wednesday August 4, 2021 I got a phone call. It was from a neighbor alerting me that a plume of dense smoke had been spotted over the hill from our home. I walked outside, and sure enough, there was a mushroom cloud of dark smoke. It was impossible to judge how far away it could be, but it seemed very, very close. It was to the east of us, and at this time of day it meant that the prevailing winds would be heading away from our home rather than towards it.
However, the gusty winds were unpredictable. We threw our suitcases into the back of the car - they were already packed during the fire season - along with several bags of documents, photos, and computer back-up drives. In less than fifteen minutes we were down the driveway, down the hill, and heading to Sacramento. I made a hotel reservation while driving down, which was a good call because by evening there was a stream of evacuees and by the time we checked in, the hotel was at capacity.
Unfortunately the River Fire, as it was named, took almost a week to bring under control. The fire burned 2,614 acres, burned 142 structures, many of them homes. Several acquaintances of ours lost their homes. Four fire fighters were injured, but fortunately there were no fatalities. We were fortunate that the prevailing wind pattern drove the flames away from us.
But the following week, and even bigger fire started south and east of us. This would be called the Caldor Fire. It started in El Dorado County, and it quickly spread due to the hot, dry, and windy conditions. It became one of the most devastating fires in California's history. Within a matter of days, the fire had grown to more than 10,000 acres, and it had forced the evacuation of thousands of people. But in spite of the firefighting efforts of thousands of firefighters and emergency crews, the fire continued to grow, eventually burning an incredible 220,000 acres, from one side of the Sierras to the other.
By the time the fire eventually was controlled, more than 1000 structures had been destroyed in the miles long swath of this monster fire. There would have been many more homes destroyed had it not been for the brave firefighters. Their number one priority was to preserve life, and in spite of the danger and destruction there was only a single fatality. The second priority was to save as many homes as they could. They would do this by having a crew clear brush and flammable materials around the home, hose the roof, or form fire lines to thwart the wall of advancing flames. Once the danger had been averted, they would go to the next closest home to defend.
I often thought of the sacrifices these firefighters were making in doing their jobs. I had experienced the stress of evacuation and the days and weeks of uncertainty. But these firefighters, many of them far away their own families and homes for weeks on end, continued day after day working in the worst possible conditions. I couldn’t imagine what it would be like to work under layers of heavy, thick coats, pants, and hats, enduring the sweltering heat and smoke while performing the hard physical labor of fire fighting. All of this, while facing the danger of falling trees, collapsing structures, and firestorms. I had nothing but admiration and gratefulness for these men and women.
The fire threatened several communities, including South Lake Tahoe, a popular vacation destination, but also the home of many families. Thousands of tourists and residents were forced to evacuate the Tahoe basin, causing major traffic jams and road closures.
A local newspaper writer, Miranda Jacobson, wrote about an incident, a story about heroism but even more, about uncommon kindness.
According to Ms. Jacobson, a 9-year-old boy named Carter Campbell had spent his first summer at a cabin in South Lake Tahoe that his parents had bought. While his dad was working on the cabin Carter built a fort to pass the time. It consisted of four walls and a table. In addition he started his own small business. He collected sticks, sharpened them, and set them outside his fort with a sign reading “Sharpened Sticks for Sale.”
When the emergency evacuation order was broadcast, Carter abandoned not only his fort, but his new home. It had to have been frightening to leave them and not know if they would still be there after the fire stormed through the basin.
But a group of firefighters from Riverside California led by Battalion Chief Scott Wilson arrived before the flames, and cleared the property to avoid damage or disaster.
When the danger had passed, the family returned to their property. Carter was very concerned that his fort had been destroyed, but to their surprise found that the firefighters had cut fire lines all the way around his fort. Not only that, they had taken down two of the walls that could have caught fire as a defensive measure. And on top of that, they found a note next to Carter’s pile of Sharpened Sticks:
“I bought three of your sticks. I hope a dollar each was fair. Contact me for a cool video of helicopters dropping water by your fort.
Signed,
Battalion Chief Wilson”
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