After 4 days, the fire has damaged over 36,000 acres, with 150+ structures and homes burned to the ground, only 10% contained as of this morning. 1700 firemen and personnel have been battling it.
One thing about tragedy is that it opens people's hearts. The day after the fire started, we went around the house and gathered a few supplies to take to a drop-off location--water bottles, hygiene items, clothes, a few gently used blankets, and unused pillows. It was a token donation, and I hope we'll be able to do more.
The response from our little Ridgecrest community to help Lake Isabella (and other) residents has been astounding. An account was set up at a local bank, volunteers have loaded several trailers of donations and driven up to the area on their own time and money, people have delivered chili and donuts to the fire personnel, animals have been relocated here in town and at the fairgrounds. I spoke to a friend this morning who said she had family staying at a local hotel, and there were goats there! Livestock and other animals have also been rescued from the wildfire. These are just a few of the stories I've seen.
In the face of so much destruction, it has been very inspiring to see people gather together to help and make a difference!
The other miracle was this: our good friend Howard Collins has a sister Cindy who lives up where the wildfire is going on, in Mt Mesa. She works with firefighters and other personnel for her job, so when the fire started, she grabbed a few belongings from her home and spent the next two days working on the fire situation. We were concerned for her and her home! Yesterday Sandi sent me a text that Cindy had been able to check her home--"Cindy's house did not burn....thank you for the prayers. She is busy working and helping others."
For an idea of the devastation, here are a few pictures that have been all over Facebook this weekend:
