Residents Return to West Mountain

By Scott Poniewaz, 8-13-05

	Caption: Members of the Frenchtown Rural Fire Department set up irrigation for the Pease's home last week Monday.

George and June Pease finally had an opportunity to return to their West Mountain home Friday night after fire officials determined the fires that had threatened their home the past week and a half were under control.

“Even when you go out of town on vacation for a few days, it's always great to come back home,� George said.

The first thing the Peases packed when they were told to evacuate was their clothes, followed by their computer and business records. They figured everyone in the family, including themselves, had their family photos in digital format, so they just packed up the computer.

This wasn’t the first time the retired couple has had to evacuate in the 10 years they have been living there. About three years ago they evacuated for the Nemote Creek fire that also threatened their home. “We packed a lot more that time,� the couple said. They had their R.V. packed so tight they could barely move around in it. This time, they took advantage of the R.V. by staying at Rivers Edge R.V. park nearby and a friend’s house that they were dog sitting for.

They were able to contact their family to let them know they were OK, but once they left their home, it was pretty difficult for the couple because they don't own a cell phone.

The only way family members could contact them was through a phone at the bar of the R.V park. The area is normally out of cell phone service, but Verizon Wireless had put a temporary tower in the town of Alberton for the fire.

The Peases' yard has been used as a safety zone for the crews and the couple has been very appreciative of everything they have done, including how informed they were on the status of their home. The structure protection crews had cleared some of the brush away from the home, though it was already pretty fire ready according to several of the fire crews that had been working in the area. “We’ve been pretty fire conscious. When we first moved in here, we put a metal roof on,� George said. He also says spends a lot of time clearing brush, watering the lawn and doing other mitigation work that is necessary to protect your home in the event that a wildfire threatens it.

While the residents have been officially allowed to move back into their homes, the fire isn’t dead yet. The north side of the fire is still burning, though it is being held rather successfully at this point. The crews have been doing a full-on attack since yesterday to try and contain the fire, while the weather cooperates. Rain last night and cooler temperatures are both things that factor in to the ability to suppress the fire. The incident management team hopes to fully contain the fire in the next few days. It is currently contained 50 percent and is at 11,000 acres. Yesterday afternoon also brought a broken arm for one firefighter, said Information Officer Alan Barbian, but no major medical evacuations were necessary for the incident.

While everything has gone smoothly for residents around the fire’s perimeter, the Peases are ready for things to be back to normal, “I’ll be glad when all of this is over,� June said. [End of article]