Choosing to stay
LAKE ARROWHEAD - It was still dark Monday when Sheriff’s deputies woke residents on Sonoma Drive telling them to evacuate but neighbors Scott Garrett and Martin Daniel already knew what they would do.
And it wasn’t flee.
Firefighters warned them to leave, but Martin, 46, and Garrett, 48, refused. Martin sent his family away to safety and the two men formed a plan.
First, they donned paint masks, then skiing and motorcycle goggles. Garrett began stockpiling water, filling trash cans and large buckets before the water main was turned off. The men distributed them around the perimeter of the homes to douse hotspots.
What followed was a 21-hour ordeal, as they fought to keep their homes safe from the encroaching flames.
Because water was so precious they had to ration it, fighting the fire mostly with dirt and shovels.
They smothered hot spots on trees and dead timber with dirt, when they ran out of water.
Despite the intense heat surrounding the pair, neither was injured.
“My shoes melted and Martin’s pants got scorched,” Garrett said. “We were keeping an eye on each other so we weren’t in danger of bursting into flames.”
When the water pressure returned hours later, they pieced together several garden hoses, which they used to douse large pieces of burning timber around the homes.
They fought the fire the rest of the day and into the night until about 3 a.m. Tuesday.
Exhausted, both men began to lose track of time, snatching only brief minutes of rest.
But sleep was a luxury they could not afford.
“We were watching and it would look as if it was coming back up again,” Garrett said. “There was a couple of times it was starting to climb up into the treetops and we thought we were done with our battle.”
Both men said they had their vehicles ready to go, if need be.
“If it wasn’t for him, I might have left when it was really ugly,” Garrett said.
Martin said he didn’t realize what he’d signed on for.
“I had no idea how in the thick of things we would be,” Martin said. “I saw big chunks of burning stuff falling on my roof. There was one moment when it looked like it was going to come right through the trees right at us and I started praying - reciting Psalm 23.”
Miraculously, the fire stalled where it was.
Another neighbor passed by and saw the two and began to help. Finally, the danger passed early Tuesday and the men could rest - or try to.
“Every time I would fall asleep I would just see those little spot fires in front of me and I’d keep trying to put them out,” Martin said.
In the end, Garrett and Daniel saved both their homes and three others. Yet, both say they have mixed feelings about whether their story would encourage others to stay behind, rather than evacuate.
“We don’t want to be encouraging other people to stay and having firefighters have to rescue them instead of dealing with the fires,” Garrett said.
Martin agreed.
“I’m glad I did it,” he said. “But I don’t know if I would do it again.”
- Selicia Kennedy-Ross