FLAT CREEK, Wash. – Residents in the small community of Flat Creek have come together in a united effort against the Hope Fire, which started just under a week ago.
Iris Gardner, a Flat Creek resident, described the scene as neighbors banded together to help each other evacuate.
“It definitely was not just me out there running around,” Gardner said. “By the time I got to the first house, there were already a handful of other neighbors there helping them get evacuated.”
Despite the danger, many locals chose to stay and fight the fire around their homes and assist neighbors.
“There are a lot of the locals who chose not to evacuate, and to stay and to fight fire around their own homes and to help their neighbors save their homes,” Gardner said.
The community’s efforts were relentless, with residents going without sleep for extended periods.
“Everybody went at least 40, 45 hours without any sleep during that first initial push,” Gardner added.
The fire resulted in the loss of two full-time homes in Flat Creek and destroyed acres of pastureland, impacting the community’s horses.
“The Bull Hill Ranch, they have 90 horses to keep fed all summer, and those horses have nothing to eat now. All their pasture is burned up,” Gardner noted.
Rebuilding efforts are underway, with many areas in need of reseeding.
“The land is smoldering all around everybody. There’s trees still bursting into flames everywhere. There’s hotspots everywhere with smoke coming up,” Gardner explained.
Despite the challenges, Gardner remains focused on the community’s unity.
“There’s a lot of divisiveness in the world right now,” she said. “Even in this community, there’s a lot of people that don’t have the same political beliefs, the same religious beliefs.”
Gardner emphasized the humanity shown during this crisis.
“And yet, when a type of tragedy strikes, everybody has each other’s backs. Everybody,” she stated. “That is America. That is what America should be.”
For those interested in donating to help rebuild Flat Creek, the GoFundMe page can be found here.
