Fieg cousin Janet (Holm) and her husband, Craig McHenry, have survived yet another major forest fire that threatened their community of Loyalton in the Sierra Valley, an hour north of Lake Tahoe in northern California.
The Loyalton Fire started Aug. 14 after
a lightning strike just east of town, about a mile from Craig's ranch.
It raced in several directions over the next couple of days, then
threatened the outskirts of town on Aug. 17, when firefighters took a
stand at the highway that leads into town and put
it out.
As of Aug. 24 it was almost fully contained after burning about 50,000
acres of forest and high desert vegetation. The fire gained
international attention because of numerous fire tornadoes that
occurred, burning five homes and numerous outbuildings. Mandatory
evacuation orders were in effect for an area where the McHenrys'
daughter Rebekah, husband and six children live, so they had to
transport horses and many other animals to a ranch away from the fire
and stayed with Janet and Craig.
Janet said, "We saw lots of miracles. Our daughter's best friend's sheep
ranch was completely saved, whereas the fire wiped out everything else
around it. And Craig watched as the fire swept down the mountain, but
spread in an inverted V around a historic barn
and home. Even displaced cattle have been found. We are thankful."
The fire occurred exactly 26 years after the Cottonwood Fire, which also burned about 50,000 acres and threatened the town many days in a row. Janet has been blogging about the experience with photos on her Facebook page and on her website: https://www.janetmchenry.com.
The two photos are views of the fire from Craig's ranch--at the beginning of the firefighters' stand and toward its end.
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