Cal Shasta/Chimney Fire Recovery

It was a beautiful Saturday on August 13, 2016.   Our family had been on the water most of the day enjoying our last summer lake trip  at our in-laws home on Lake Naciamento (Cal Shasta Club).  There were kids playing at the shoreline, and then out of nowhere, one of them yelled, "FIRE!!".  We all jumped up and couldn't believe our eyes as this huge plume of smoke was rising in the air.  My husband looked at me and said, "stay here with the boys, I'll be right back.  If that fire comes over the hill, take the boat to the middle of the lake."  My husband, brother-in-law, and father-in-law took off in their truck to scout out where the fire was.  I sat on the back of our boat with my 2 boys (ages 4 and 8) watching huge planes and helicopters fly over our heads and drop retardant and water on the smoke areas.  When the men came back, we learned that the fire was outside of the club, in an area called Running Deer, along the only road that was used to come to the house.  Everyone was fairly confident that as scary as the plume looked, it was far enough away to go ahead and stay.....but we decided to leave our boat on the water, just in case we needed a way out.  However, it was close enough that not much sleep happened that night for any of us, as the night sky was lit up by the flames.

The next day, Sunday August 14th, we all were glued to our electronic devices trying to get updates on where the fire was located and if we could get out.  We were considered a "shelter in place", meaning that we could not leave.  At 10:15am, the phone rang with news that there was going to be one excorted caravan out at 11:00am.   We were told that if we didn't join, we could be stuck there.  We decided to take advantage of this window and pack up quickly to get out of there.  My brother-in-law did the same.  My mother-in-law also packed up and decided to get a hotel in Paso Robles for a few days, just in case something happened.  The 3 cars got out safely, and we got on the road towards home in Livermore.  Two hours down the road, my mother-in-law called to say that my father-in-law narrowly escaped the flames by their home and was sitting in our boat, in the middle of the lake watching their community burn.  The next day, we got confirmation that their beautiful home was gone.

As of today, August 18, 2016, the Chimney Fire has consumed 11,233 acres and 45 homes.  Of these 45 homes, 26 of them were in my in-laws small community, Cal Shasta.  I am setting up this fundraiser to help this little community get back on its feet. Currently, no one can even get into the community because the fire is still burning furiously.   We love Cal Shasta and hope you can give them a little help in the midst of so much loss.

I can't thank you enough for your thoughts and prayers through all of this.....and for your generous gift.  God Bless.

(Written by Jennifer Lininger - Photos taken by myself and other community members)