Fire

Monday afternoon while the kids were playing downstairs and Hayley was napping, I laid down on the couch to have a rest and promptly fell asleep. I awoke to the phone ringing and looked to see who it was (thankfully it was laying right next to me). It was Ryan so I put the phone down and closed my eyes thinking I would call him back when I had fully woken up. Then my cell started ringing. No one really ever calls my cell so I knew it was Ryan and decided I better call him back. So I did. He wanted to make sure we weren't getting smoked out. I had no idea what he was talking about and looked out my front window to see black smoke just across the highway in front of us. I didn't feel like we were in any immediate danger but turned on the radio to see what was being said about it. Like 10 minutes later the phone rings and its the Elementary school. Nate was in the office all anxious and worried about the fire. They could see all the black smoke at recess. I calmed him down and assured him we were safe and that the fire was far away. School was going to be over soon, so I told him to go back to class and I would be there soon. When we went to get Nate it was really, really windy and smoky. When we got home Ryan called again and said we better leave. I didn't want to drive without him so he was going to head home while I packed some bags to stay over night at my Grandma's in Raymond. Ryan got home as I was done packing and there was now an official evacuation for Coalhurst. We loaded into the van. The highway closed right after Ryan had come home so we had to go out the back way. It usually take's 5 minutes to get out onto the highway heading to Picture Butte or Lethbridge, but it took us 30 minutes because of the traffic. We couldn't head back into Lethbridge, so we had to go to Picture Butte, then to Coaldale, and finally on to Raymond. Everyone remained calm throughout. Ty was worried about the costume we had just bought and his $2 goggle's. I assured him we could buy a new pair if they burned.

As we were driving I turned to Ryan and said "what do we do if our house burns down?" He said "We get insurance money, rebuild, and replace". Sounds easy. Of course there are all those non replaceable things. Pictures, journal's, keepsakes that mean something to someone. Thank goodness we didn't have to know what it would feel like to lose so much. Not this time anyway. (this is the 2nd time there has been a grass fire, and in pretty much the same spot). These winds have been so crazy this past year. Apparently the wind had knocked down a power line which started the fire. Sure makes you think and wonder if you are prepared for something like this. Anyway, we made it to my Grandma's and they took good care of us. We were sure grateful for them and my aunt Connie. It felt nice to be able to go there and feel safe and comfortable. We kept up to what was going on until it was late, then we settled in  for the night. I kept saying I just wanted to know where the fire was. If it was getting anywhere near my home. In the morning we learned that the fire was pretty much out, just working on some hot spots and that we could return to our homes. What a good feeling. It was crazy to drive home and see how close the fire actually got to us. Thankfully the wind changed and pushed the fire more east so that when it jumped the highway a bit it was east of us, and just missed us. I'm so grateful for all those who spent their time fighting the fire to keep us safe. All of the volunteers who did so much for those who had been evacuated. There are so many wonderful, selfless people in this world. I am grateful that we are safe, and so is our home.

Here's how black the sky was from the smoke as we were leaving Coalhurst.

The line-up of vehicles all trying to evacuate

Dear wind, please stop blowing so hard and putting us all in danger. I would appreciate it very much.

Kelli Olsen