A lot of adrenalin pumps through your system when your home is faced with destruction by wildfire.

It was astonishing how fast the Saratoga Fire went from “Hmm, that's the third siren I've heard go by, maybe I should step outside to see what's happening...” to “Get ready to evacuate!”

The crash that started the fire occurred around 4 p.m., when a drunk driver veered off the road. By 5 p.m., both sides of Highway 20 were ablaze all the way to the ridgetops.

Although we spent anxious hours in “evacuation standby” mode, ultimately, Cal Fire knocked the fire down with airplanes, helicopters, bulldozers and lots of boots on the ground.

The gratitude I feel for the efficiency and dedication of these incredibly brave, hard-working individuals cannot be adequately put into words, so I will just say a heartfelt “Thank you!”

I am always happy to write that check for the wildland fire protection fee, because I don't have the money myself to buy a DC-10 like they used on the Scotts Fire two years ago.

I cannot afford smaller chemical-dispersing airplanes or water-dropping helicopters. Heck, I cannot afford even a single bull-dozer.

Fortunately, we have Cal Fire. (Thank you, thank you, thank you!)

I was very sad to see the ruins of my neighbor's home, very close to the vehicle crash that started the fire.
 
Across the highway, I found another casualty of the fire: A sign urging drivers to call 911 to report drunk drivers.

Deb Baumann lives in Upper Lake, Calif.

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Written by: Deb Baumann

Published: 21 September 2014