Patrick Cole loaded a box of his father’s photos from World War II, a banjo he made when he was a kid, one of his cats and some tools, including a chainsaw in case he ran into trouble on the road, into his car and evacuated his home of 50 years on Ponderosa Way in Cohasset as the Park Fire raged up the canyons.
“I left at around 10:30 (p.m.) when I could see the red rim of the fire in the distance on both sides of me,” said Cole.
A Chico architect, Cole was working in his firm’s (Arcademe) office when a notification from Watch Duty, a real-time wildfire information app, sounded on his phone around 3 p.m. alerting him there was a “5-acre fire” in Upper Bidwell Park.
Knowing the fire had the potential to grow and move toward the home he built out of rocks he collected from his 16-acre property, Cole left Chico and drove home. He arrived home around 4:30 p.m. and received an evacuation notice around 5 p.m. but opted to stay. He then spent the next six hours opening all the gates on his property so firefighters could gain easy access if necessary; setting up his home’s exterior sprinkler system; raking pine needles and leaves away from his home and out buildings; and, moving vehicles to an old helipad that wasn’t far from his home.
At 10:30 p.m. with the “red glow surrounding” him, Cole left his home driving out Ponderosa Way to Cohasset Road to Chico.
“I had no idea what I would be facing,” said Cole. “All the time I was driving I had concern that I wouldn’t make it. I knew I was at risk. Yes, it was terrifying.”
On the drive out the only other vehicles Cole saw were those of “hundreds” of emergency response personnel, he said. There were flames on both sides of the road and at the road’s edge when he reached the Jack Rabbit Flat Area. The smoke was thick and visibility was low.
“It was as smoky as could be. There were embers and burning branches falling,” said Cole. “Because the smoke was so thick, the only way I knew I had hit or run over something that was on fire was the trail of sparks I could see in my rearview mirror.”
When Cole reached Chico at around 11:30 p.m. he pulled into a parking lot at East Avenue and Cohasset Road. He stayed there for a while looking back at the fire, watching the convoy of emergency vehicles heading up the hill and “colleting” himself.
“The biggest feeling I had was the surrender. I’m a get it done kind of guy. I don’t surrender to a job unfinished very often. There was a lot of emotion,” said Cole. “I had just left my home of 50 years. Fifty years of dreams. Fifty years of a wonderful lifestyle, wonderful freedom and the God-ness of nature, the God-ness of everything. I just felt like I was surrendering and giving it all back, giving it all up.”
Cole spent the night in his Chico office and as of Thursday morning believed his home was still standing.
Evacuation center
Jameson Anderson, 9, sipped a cup of hot chocolate outside the American Red Cross fire shelter at Neighborhood Church on Thursday morning.
Shelter volunteers gave him the drink along with a bag of chips. The Park Fire, which began in upper Bidwell Park around 3 p.m. Wednesday, had spread to 71,000 acres by mid-afternoon Thursday. Anderson and his mother, Amy Anderson, who is a single mom, arrived at the shelter Wednesday night with a kennel full of cats and kittens which sat in the shade in the church parking lot Thursday.
The Andersons live in Cohasset.
“I was scared but we’re figuring it out,” Jameson Anderson said.
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Amy Anderson said she volunteered in Oroville during the Thompson Fire. She said she heard their house hasn’t been affected.
“I have no idea how long we’re going to be here,” she said.
Julie Phillips, who lives in Cohasset, was at the shelter with her boyfriend and their three Rottweilers. Pets weren’t allowed inside so they were camping out in their car. Tears came to Phillips’ eyes as she talked about her situation.
“It’s one of the hardest things, being stuck in your car,” she said.
Katelyn Huynh exited the shelter with four members of her family, all carrying Red Cross blankets and other supplies. They were visiting Chico from Texas and had just contended with Hurricane Beryl before the double whammy of also experiencing the Park Fire.
“The service here was awesome,” Huynh said. “They kept us safe.”
Diana Nguyen said she was grateful for the shelter’s volunteers.
“They gave us souvenirs,” Nguyen said. “We are heading south now away from the fire.”
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