Level 3 Evacuation: How the Modrite Wildland Fire Threatened Our Ranch

Welcome to Episode 2

If you missed Episode 1, you can read it here: Here it Comes!

If you read it, I hope you enjoyed the recap.

Let’s continue the story…

I stood on the roof of our house, watching and praying as the Modrite Wildland Fire crept closer.

I could hear the low rumble of the flames.

Then the wind picked up.

So did the fire.

And we had another problem.

My husband was only two weeks post-surgery and couldn’t lift more than ten pounds.

That left most of the evacuation preparations to me.

I hooked up our camper trailer and started packing.

Important papers for our home.

Vehicle documents.

Records for my writing business.

Records for my husband’s business—which includes wildland firefighting with heavy equipment.

Meanwhile, I was helping care for my husband and keeping track of which pieces of our equipment were working which fires.

My writing?

That wasn’t happening.

There wasn’t room in my brain for much beyond the next thing that needed to be done.

And there was plenty to do.

My husband is a Type A, alpha male, so you can imagine how thrilled he was to sit around and watch me do nearly everything.

But he was a trooper and did what he was asked of him.

Mostly because I knew exactly which carrot to dangle.

“You need to stay still and heal so you can fill that moose tag this fall.”

That helped.

I was grateful to take care of him. He was on the mend, and we wanted to keep him that way.

But while I packed, the fire kept coming.

Standing on our roof and watching it pick up speed, I found myself thanking God for something I never expected to be thankful for.

I no longer had horses or other animals to evacuate.

That’s bittersweet!

Losing and rehoming them had brought its own grief. But at that moment, with everything else on my plate, I was grateful I didn’t have frightened animals to load and haul out ahead of a wildfire.

Then two of my boys called to check on us.

Cody, who owns his own construction company, was in Spokane at a meeting but planned to head our way afterward.

Corey, who works for the tribes Fish and Wildlife Department and drives water trucks during wildfires, would come when his shift ended.

By the time they arrived, along with two of their friends, the fire was upon us.

It was burning across the road at the end of our half-mile driveway.

And coming our way.

Flames towered hundreds of yards into the air. Thick plumes of smoke pulsed skyward.

Then help began showing up.

Someone had heard that all our heavy equipment was working either the Modrite or Kaiser Canyon fires, both on the Colville Indian Reservation, and sent us a water truck.

I couldn’t believe it.

What a blessing.

Corey climbed in and began watering around the house.

Cody and two of his friends fired up Sallie Mae—our skid steer.

Yes, I name our equipment.

They began cutting a fire trail.

Meanwhile, Joe and I videotaped the contents of our house, shop, She Shed, and an outbuilding.

Just in case.

Then more dozers arrived. Steve and his son Jason Palmer came from Nespelem to help us and others in the area. Talk about angels among us!

Planes dropped water and retardant across the road.

A fire crew at our house began talking about back burns.

The last resort.

That’s when we knew.

It was time to leave.

Before we did, I took one last video of our ranch.

The home.

The buildings.

The place we’d worked for and loved since 1997.

I cried as I recorded it because I knew this might be the last time I saw our ranch the way it was.

That very day, my husband had been cleared to drive.

He climbed into his truck.

I climbed into mine, our camper trailer hitched behind me.

Then we headed for the Colville Fairgrounds.

As I drove down our half-mile driveway, I looked back at the ranch we were leaving behind.

Tears spilled.

Prayers came.

And I pleaded for Divine intervention.

All I could whisper was:

“God, help us all.”

A second devotional that has helped me through some pretty rough times is Dust & Devotion: A 60- Day Walk in Faith for the Western Way of Life by Marci Powell. Get your copy here. 

Next in Episode 3: We had made it out. But while we waited at the Colville Fairgrounds to learn what the fire had done, we began hearing about friends who hadn’t been as fortunate.

I’d love to hear from you:

When life feels out of your control, what helps you turn your fear over to God?

Share your answer in the comments. Your words just might encourage someone else walking through a difficult season.

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