Surviving The Gwen Fire of 2024

I woke up on July 25th getting ready to go for a fun outing with my Big Sis and Mom. It was going to be a chance to hang out with my sister who had come for a visit. We noticed that there was some smoke developing a couple of hills from us. We thought maybe it wouldn't be an issue at first. But it continued to grow, as were our fears. As we watched it all, the smoke spread out and continued on a path among the hills. There was even one across the river. Some of my family started packing important things. I stood there mesmerized by the sight, not fully realizing that it was getting worse. That it might be dangerous.

I watched in horror as the fire across the river came close to a house. I couldn't believe it. The whole thing felt unreal, like it was a movie, or a news segment. Was this really, truly happening? I stood next to my brother and took pictures of the fire. It was titled the Gwen Fire. As my family packed, I kept watch. I just couldn't imagine that the fire would be a problem for us. I couldn't see our house being destroyed. But the fire on the other side of the river (near us) built up a heavier smoke cloud. It was getting serious. I ran into my place and stuffed a backpack (that I had bought specifically for an emergency) with my phone charger, a few clothes, and important papers. Thankful for the chance.

There were so many helicopters and planes that flew past us to help with the fires. Ones that I hadn't ever seen before. It was awesome to see them work. A few of the planes kept watch, the helicopters deployed fire retardant and dropped buckets of water. Once again, everything felt strange. I had a backpack that was stuffed and ready, although I could've easily grabbed more. The police had stopped traffic from driving up the road to where the fires were at. Everyone was working together. I can't thank the people enough that served to assist us and our neighbors. They're true heroes to me, and my family.

The fire that was on our side of the hills had quickly spread. It was nearing our much-loved canyon. Thoughts went surging through my mind. I needed to pack much more. I then did everything I could to pack stuff for my family. We shoved boxes filled with whatever we could grab into our cars. It was getting late, and we needed to make a decision. We had been warned that the fire could be here within five minutes if it hit the dry weeds next to our house. That wouldn't be enough time. We knew we had to leave now.

It was all so stressful, but we got everyone loaded up. I grabbed my cat, more things, and hopped into my car. The drive was eerie. It was dark with the glow of fires behind me. The roads almost deserted. I drove into town and helped my family get adjusted into a hotel. After that, I stopped at my Grandma's. It was around midnight. I couldn't sleep that night. Thought for sure my home and everything was gone. I dreaded what tomorrow would bring.

Our house had remained untouched. The fire had come into our canyon but stopped. They had done a burn back to keep the fire from reaching our home. They also had deployed some fire retardant. One of our neighbors created a huge line in the dirt in front of our house. It spanned it lengthwise. I had spent a few days with my Grandma, because the roads were still closed. But once it was clear, I got all my things and my cat and headed out. When I got there, I took photos. I immediately unpacked all my bags and boxes. My cat was so happy to be back, and so was I. I was truly grateful. I couldn't believe it. 

Fires have come close to our house in the past, so I've experienced this type of disaster before. We've had to evacuate once a long time ago and came close again during another fire. When summer comes, this is something we have to look out for. One of the reasons why I don't look forward to summer. I wish it wouldn't get so dry, because it's a major problem for people in this area of Idaho. But I'm so glad that here we have such amazing firefighters. I know some people lost their homes during the Gwen Fire, and I'm really comforted by the fact that others have been so generous and loving to them. It's awesome that our communities came together to offer assistance in many different ways.

I want to thank our family, friends, neighbors, firefighters, and anyone else that helped. Your eagerness to assist us filled my heart with gladness. I can't thank you all enough. It was a comfort just knowing that our place was being watched, and I'm eternally grateful. Once again, thank you from my heart. I pray your lives are guarded and filled with blessings for your selfless compassion. I also want to thank God for guiding us through this event in our lives this year. We all survived the Gwen Fire of July 2024. Much love.

Many blessings,
- Grace Thorson