Family Evacuated From Path Of Dixie Fire Hopes Their Lake Almanor Home Is Spared
OROVILLE (CBS13) - The Dixie fire is forcing families to flee from several California counties.
"We were evacuated Monday…it was more than 20 miles away and now it's within four miles of our house," says Kylie Ojers, whose home sits in the path of the Dixie Fire.
The Dixie Fire is the largest fire burning in California right now.
"It's going right in the direction of our house," said Ojers.
The family is unsure if they'll return to their Lake Almanor home where so many memories remain.
"Out of all the things I'd be upset about is those family pictures. I have a picture of my sister and I with my grandma," she said.
Evacuations were ordered for several counties close to the Dixie Fire.
"It was raining ash; it was just dark skies, everyone kind of had this worried ominous feeling, you know, it was, you could tell there was panic," said Williams Helts.
The Dixie Fire incident commander this week said the fire is moving fast and outpacing crews.
Helt's home is in Lassen County.
"I just hoped there's a house to go back to," he said.
The Red Cross jumped into action Friday, getting a call from the California Office of Emergency Services to open a shelter in Oroville right away.
"It's an automatic for me -- an adrenaline rush; you go into that mode of you jump into action," said Red Cross volunteer Angie Irmer, who says it's her job to make an evacuation center feel like home. "We keep all our supplies that we'd need: our cleaning supplies, our cots...we keep a wheelchair in there. We have stuff for kids as well. We provide them a place to be safe and sleep."
Irmer was once an evacuee herself.
"I know what it's like to be in a shelter. People come in and they're hurting. We try to make this a home as best we can," she said.
The evacuation center in Oroville is located at the Church of Nazarene and is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The Red Cross encourages everyone to take advantage of their resources. They're here to help.
