Tea Fire

The Tea Fire. So named because it started at the Tea Gardens on Mountain Drive. This fire came to life at about 5:45 in the evening on the 13th of Nov and within an hour had consumed almost all of the homes on Mountain Drive. Included in that were six different houses belonging to my family. Mountain Drive being the community where I was born and raised meant that I know almost everyone there and most of them lost their homes as well. It's weird, it's sad, it's amazing. I will never forget getting the phone call from Ben (we were in Las Cruces)and hearing Stan say to him to be safe, get out and make sure the moms are ok. Five minutes later he called and said that the flames were coming over the hill and he had to leave. The winds were blowing 70 miles an hour with flames going 300 feet in the air and burning branches falling all around. No time to get anything. Ben's girlfriend Michelle immediatly went to Grandma Pat's house and started packing her up. It took Ben about 40 minutes to get there in what usually takes five. Meanwhile, we were tracking down my mom and stepdad, who had disappeared. We knew they were out of the house and would show up eventually because my sister Rima had gone up there to get them. Luckily she did because she and her friend Hank were able to evacuate with them another elderly resident who had no car. Real heros there!! Back to Ben... Ben, Michelle and two police officers who Stan's brother Gary had sent, were able to evacuate Grandma Pat and take her to the fire station, where Gary could pick her up. More heros, Ben and Michelle! I got a call from Rob at about 8:00 saying that Mom and Merv were there with him. By then we knew that all the family was safely out and then we could track the fire. It is incredible that no one died in this fire. Our homes and worldly goods are gone, but they can be replaced. Our loved ones cannot and they are all still here. Isn't that a miracle?