Hello everyone, My name is Derek Myers and I am starting this fundraiser to help my Dad (Rick), Step Mom (Anna) and Step Brother (Ryan) who lost everything during the first night of the Dolan fire on the Big Sur coast. Just imagine relaxing after dinner when at around 8pm the fire broke out. Intentionally lit by an arsonist. By 1am after a valiant effort to save their home they were chased out by the fire and had to watch everything they knew, loved and worked towards for the last 15+ years go up in smoke. My Father was the caretaker for this property where he worked and lived. Maintaining Fire readiness and defensible space is something we took VERY seriously and never overlooked. We all took great pride in establishing and maintaining the defensible space. We had well over 100ft clearance, 6,000 gallons of water, multiple stand pipes, a couple thousand feet of fire hose and even a foam suppression system installed. Unfortunately the night the Dolan fire was lit all local resources were committed to other fires in the area and with the extreme fire behavior, rapid rate of spread and no available resources to assist it was too much for them to overcome alone and luckily made it out before it was too late. I am very grateful they are all still alive but now are left without a home and a job as the property owners don’t know if or when they will rebuild. After losing the battle on their property they went to a friends house on the other side of the mountain where they continue to fight to keep their place from the same fate. My Dad is in his mid 50’s and was looking forward to retiring with his wife. Ryan is a 28 yr old cancer survivor and was working and saving after his recovery to get back out on his own. I realize there are many other families out there with similar stories of heart break during this unprecedented fire season. I hope you can find it in your heart to donate if you can to help my family get back on their feet. Anyone who has meet them knows of their generosity and the many people they have helped along the way. This time they need our help. Thank you for taking the time to read my story and any thoughts and prayers are also greatly appreciated.
Derek Myers
