On the way home from California, my husband called and told me that there was a fire on the hill where we live in Herriman, Utah. At first, he did not seem too concerned, but he called me later and told me that it was moving very fast and that we might have to evacuate! I told him to start loading the car with my big container of negatives and pictures, my Mother's bins of pictures and genealogy and anything else he thought was important. He also knelt down with the girls and offered a prayer.
The original plan was for Mike to meet me at my Dad's house and pick me up, but since we did not know if we were going to evacuate, my Dad drove me home. I was so anxious and worried and just wanted to get home to my family! I could tell that my Dad was worried also. As we drove over the point of the mountain and into Salt Lake County, we could see the fire. It was a sight to behold!! My Dad and I could not believe how bad it was! We got even more worried! Then Mike called and told me that I might not be able to get home because of the barricades. So many were evacuating and the police had areas blocked off to keep people from coming in. There was major traffic, and it took us a long time to get to the barricade. When we got there, a police officer told us that we could not go any further! My Dad got really upset and raised his his voice to the officer. He told him that I had just come back from California and was trying to get to my family. The officer said that was too bad and we had to turn around. I called Mike and he directed to us to a little known back road to get to my home. It worked! I was so thankful and relieved to get to my family! My girls were so happy to see me! They had both been crying and were very upset about the fire! I am so thankful for my Dad for bringing me home and the love and concern he showed me!
It ended up that the winds shifted and we only had a voluntary evacuation. Some members in my ward that lived up on the hill, had a mandatory evacuation as the fire came only 150 yards from their homes! We ended up staying home, and stayed in our house because of the smoke and ash. Only three homes were destroyed by the fire, instead of the 50-100 that they had predicted. The Governor said it was a miracle, and I truly believe it was. Prayers were answered and the Lord was watching out for our small community. Mike has told me that he truly thought that we might end up losing our home, but he felt peaceful after the prayer he offered with my girls. What a homecoming it was!!
I just want to thank all of my family and friends who called the next day to see if we were okay. Thank you to my Dad and Faye, my cousin Jenny, my Mother and Father in law, and my Sister (Cindy) and Brother (Kevin) in law for offering us a place to stay if we had to evacuate, and any help they could give us. The next day (Monday) I received a lot of calls from concerned family and friends. My Dad called me several times that week and I am truly grateful for his love and support! I also received a call from one of my cousins (Ruth Shaw) that I haven't heard from for a long time, and it was so good to hear from her! There are many others and I am thankful for all the love and support that we have!!
I did not take any pictures, so I downloaded these from the internet:
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| Our Church |
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| The fire from across the valley |
