SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY, CALIF. — Amidst the devastation of massive fires in California, stories from members recount faith experiences and miracles.
The Grand Prix fire, burning in San Bernardino County, started Tuesday, Oct. 21, in the City of Fontana near Lytle Creek. A second county fire, the Old fire started off Highway 18 in Waterman Canyon in the San Bernardino Mountains on Saturday, October 25.
The two fires, driven by strong Santa Ana winds, high temperatures, and low humidity, merged at the Cajon Pass, creating a 45-mile wide fire line, traversing six stakes.
As of Oct. 29, more than 600 structures and 100,000 acres had burned in these fires. However, many Church members feel they were protected. In the Fontana stake where the fire began, not one home was lost, as reported by Janice Rutherford, stake director of public affairs and mayor pro tem.
The fire moved west along the northern edge of Rancho Cucamonga. The family home of Ty Larson was in its path.
"This is the risk you take when you live up here, so we did everything we could to be prepared," his wife, Lori, commented. They built a reservoir and walls of stone around their property and cleared brush 200 feet beyond the walls.
But their plans could not prepare them for what happened. Lori and their four children were evacuated as the flames neared. Ty stayed to help firefighters. In the early morning, the call came to run for cover. Ty went to the basement of his house and firefighters to their truck. A little family of deer ran under the balcony of the house for protection. A great roar arose as a firestorm engulfed their house and the surrounding hills.
Lori feared the worst as she watched the roof of their house aglow. She watched as the fire enveloped everything, then pushed west. When the smoke cleared, there stood their home, completely untouched. Everything around was blackened or gone. Her husband, the firefighters and the deer emerged shaken, but unharmed.
On Saturday morning, Oct. 25, the Waterman Canyon fire blanketed a community north of San Bernardino. More than 200 homes were lost. Dale Poulsen, San Bernardino Stake president who lives south of this neighborhood, stayed to water down his roof. The fire came within 40 yards.
"Only one home in our stake was burned," he reported. "And it was vacant — the members had moved out earlier this month."
Saturday, the Grand Prix and Old fires merged, closing Interstate 15. By the afternoon, the Santa Ana winds kicked up to 50 mph and were blowing westward to Upland. The house of Upland Stake member Ken Petschow is the highest home in the foothills and is known throughout the valley for the three-story star on the front of the house that is lit during the Christmas holidays. As the fire drew near, Brother Petschow lit the star. People throughout the neighborhood cheered him on to fight the fire, hoping his house would survive.
"The star has always been a symbol of hope," one resident told an LDS neighbor. "I think he is turning it on to tell us that everything will be all right."
Brother Petschow's house was the only member's house lost in the Upland fire.
The devastation in the Upland hills took less than an hour to complete. The fire moved on to Claremont in the LaVerne stake, where residents endured the inferno's wrath. Forty homes were burned during the night, three belonging to members. The fire was stopped in Live Oak Canyon in LaVerne.
As of press time, the fire was still raging in the San Bernardino Mountains. Kent Rex, Highland stake president, said that the homes of 12 members had been lost so far and it did not look good for many others. The stake is located in the foothills at the eastern edge of the San Bernardino Mountains and includes the mountain communities of Big Bear, Arrowhead, and others. The winds shifted east pushing the fire back into these wooded towns. Evacuation orders went out to 80,000 residents, including several hundred Latter-day Saints.
