Fire! Fire on the Mountain Time to Heal and Recover!

Hi, I'm Candice and I am creating this page at the urgency of my family and friends.

Yesterday morning my boyfriend David, his mom, Tish (Patricia ) and I lost everything when our home went up in flames when an angry aggressive fast and unstoppable roaring fire came rolling down the hill quickly to our property. I could feel the heat of the fire while running out of the motorhome. I was able to grab my purse and a few other vital things. We had less than 10 minutes to get down our uneven, windy, steep driveway before it was too late.

We had less than 5 minutes to gather everyone that lived up there. There were five residents that lived on the property. We quickly assessed that two were not home. We divided and ran to alert the two remaining people, one who was in a wheelchair and the other who wasn't responding. No joke, without any seconds left, we all piled in the car and made it down the driveway. Right as we got to the end, a fire helicopter came overhead straight towards our property. They hadn't even had time to evacuate us. We've come to find out that our property was the first to burn on our hill as it was at 9:05am

It wasn't enough that our precious dog tragically died 3 weeks ago, and two weeks ago David and I took a U-Haul to my sisters and picked up all my possessions and brought them up on the hill. Even with all the devastation, we are so lucky to be alive. That's my focus. I want to make sure that I give back to this family who took me in and treated me as their own for this past year. These people are amazing and they're left with nothing, as I am. They have a strong sense of work ethnic. They do for others. They've never received handouts, and they sincerely need help. Something you should know about this family is that they are so loyal and they are so protective of each other and this mountain. I have learned so much about the Chumash people living here. There's such a rich sense of loyalty to the land and respect at all times. It has been such a joy and honor to be able to live here. It's hard to explain, but there is magic there. This hill used to be under the ocean. It's hard to believe but we have found Coral, whale bones, fossilized clams, jade crystals and anything you can think of. I'm hoping my collection is still up there just waiting for me. Anyway, I cannot tell you how safe I have felt with these people and how at home they made me feel. We appreciate anything including your thoughts, your prayers and your good vibes. With these things and a little bit of help from our friends, we can all get through this time together. We have a long road ahead of us but we know in our core, that we will be just okay. Thanks again everybody!