Evacuees Thankful Homes Were Untouched By Flames
By: Elyse Miller News Channel 3 Reporter emiller@kesq.com
Residents who were forced to evacuate their homes during Friday’s fire are giving thanks to firefighters. Evacuees were able to return to their homes last night. On Saturday, some of them were busy cleaning up.
The smell of fire lingers in the air, fire crews continue their investigation and Palm Springs residents are amazed by how little damage the blaze left behind.
” I came up here to see how far it went and what it did,” says Atson Reeder. ” You know it’s really not that much different considering how tall the flames were. We are so lucky.”
Dozens of residents were evacuated soon after the fire broke out. They’re now back home, waking up to burnt debris and ashes, quite a mess, but no serious damage.
” We are trying to clean up, it’s a mess,” says John Pivinski.
Despite the fast moving flames and winds, no homes were destroyed in the fire, but it did burn landscaping, fences and trees. Some homes are surrounded by burnt trees but the homes themselves are untouched. Now residents are thanking fire fighters for their fast reaction and for saving their homes.
” They did a marvelous job,” says Pivinski.
As the fire spread, crews filled the neighborhood watching for blowing embers and hosing down homes to prevent spot fires.
” It could’ve gotten out of control,” says Fred Pena, Fire Investigator with the U.S. Forest Service.
With this possibility, residents didn’t take any chances. Most evacuated in minutes, grabbing only a few sentimental items.
” It was that close, that I wasn’t going to waste any time at all or I could’ve been in the middle of it,” says Pivinski. ” I wanted to get out.”
” I took some family pictures and documents and a few quilts my mom made, that’s it,” says Cliff Cortland. ” The rest can be replaced.”
Although the fire didn’t reach any homes or belonging, residents are still on edge after witnessing the speed of a fire burning through the dry desert.
” This is a fear you always having living here in the desert, you never know when you can get burned over,” says Reeder.
