The dark angel of fire passes over a family - leaving it unharmed
"The Dark Angel of Fire Passes, Leaving a VC Family Unharmed" won the 1997 San Diego Society of Professional Journalists first place for Spot News and the 1997 San Diego Press Club First Place News Story for Non-Daily newspapers.
By David Ross
This morning a wall of fire passed like an avenging angel over the house of the Finn family - and left it unharmed.
To anyone who has not been in a house when a wildfire passes it by, it's an experience like few others in the world.
It's a combination of a wall of flames with darkness - of storm-like winds and ashes. Of heat lashing at windows and smoke filling the house so that eyes sting and the throat constricts.
On Tuesday morning, after a night of watching flames creep up out of the ravine from Rincon Reservation toward their house on Dorothy Lane, the Finns experienced their moment of truth.
But before that, Dan Finn, an engineer who has lived in VC a year this week, described how he and his family passed the night before As he spoke, fire bombers passed right over the roof of the house with throaty roars, shaking it to its foundations.
I guessed that was a sound that he had come to love.
"You bet!" he said with a grin. He talked about the last few hours. "It was really scary. We were up all night, hoping that the flames would stay away until we got air support," said Finn. They first learned of the fire early Monday evening when their next door neighbor, Maureen Phillips, called with news that a fire had started in back of the Bingo Hall at Rincon Reservation. The Phillipses had been eating dinner about 6 p.m. when the children looked out the window and exclaimed "Fire!"
They called their neighbors, and like them, stayed up watching the flames until smoke forced them from their house.
"We watched it go north and west of us toward Cool Valley," said Finn. During that time, residents in the Cool Valley area were evacuated.
Then the flames started to creep back towards the Finns home again.
Dan, his wife, Cindy, and Ryan, they 14-year-old son, stayed up all night. Their neighbors, the Phillipses, stayed with them.
The Phillips family consists of Greg Phillips, his wife Maureen, and their kids, Serenity and Austin.
While they waited to see what fate had in store, the Finns packed what few belongings they felt were irreplaceable - such as precious family photos.
"I guess losing the house is not that important. What's important is getting out with the family and the photo albums. All the rest we would take if we had time," said Dan.
At dawn three engine companies arrived and seven spotter aircraft started circling.
At 8:15 a.m. the fire was close, very close, maybe 150 yards away.
"We were starting to get panicky. Then all of a sudden the air was filled with 'elephant snot.' " That's the term firefighters use to refer to the sticky fire retardant that the bombers drop. At that point the flames fell back for a time. But they would be back.
About 9 a.m., with the thin line of firefighters standing between the wall of flames and their home, the Finns braced themselves.
Outside, someone was hosing down the outside of the house.
Sudden darkness fell as the flames started to pass over the house like a dark storm cloud.
We stayed well away from the windows that were facing the flames, but even so the radiant energy from the fire penetrated the walls.
Suddenly the fire alarm inside the house started to beep, a noise that would continue for many minutes.
Winds flailed against the windows. A woman could be heard crying.
A woman's voice, Mrs. Phillips: "It won't touch the house. They won't LET it touch the house."
Everyone believed, but there is always the lingering doubt.
Then: "White smoke!" That's the first hopeful sign that the firestorm has passed by.
Ryan, the 14-year-old, looked out the window: "I think we're lucky. It's like a post-nuclear explosion or something!"
In the aftermath, ashes covered the windows. Eyes watered in the smoke-filled house. People breathed and coughed through little white masks that the fire department provided.
The masks are really kind of worthless, but they make you feel better.
Animals don't like fire. The cats in the house were prowling restlessly, meowing. Mrs. Finn held a little frightened Labrador pup in her arms.
The children seem to take it all in stride. Little 5-year-old Austin, having experienced the firestorm at his own house a few hours ago, was an old pro when this one showed up.
The menfolk stood around talking about upholstery or something.
"I've got one just like it!" said one, looking at the davenport.
Then dirty, grimy, gloriously welcome young men in yellow fire suits came tramping into the house.
"I need to check your attic," said their leader.
"You know what? They saved our house!" exclaimed Maureen Phillips. She gave Mrs. Finn a hug: "It's over girlfriend!"
The family members treated the young firefighters like heroes. They gave them drinks of cold water and wet washcloths so they could bathe their burned and teary eyes.
Most of these men were quite young, filled with youthful bravado - yet highly trained and skilled at what they do - which is save lives and property.
Mike Hernandez, a paid call firefighter, had been on the fire line all night long. This was his first big fire. "This is my fourteenth hour. It's a lot of heat, a lot of smoke, a lot of fun!" When the firestorm was at its worst, Hernandez and his comrades stayed low and sprayed the flames. "You keep low and hope it doesn't go over you. That's where the training comes in handy. The engineers really look out for us. They give us words of advice and lots of support," he said. "It was intense! My eyes are just killing me!"
The firefighters exchanged war stories.
"Hey, Mike, look at my neck. I got scorched."
"Yeah, my neck got singed too."
"You got any Visine?" asked another.
"We got some back at the station."
"Does that make you feel better knowing we got it back at the station?"
One firefighter related that the smoke made him ill. "I was puking!" he said.
His buddy looked up with a grin and made a wisecrack. They share the camaraderie of danger faced and passed.
Suddenly Mrs. Finn realized something in horror.
"Oh the chickens!" They have several of the birds and she worried that the fire may have gotten them. So Mr. Finn went out to check up on them.
Suddenly the leader of the firefighters got the attention of his men. "Let's get ready to go back out! Put your gear on so you can do a walk around - do a little mop up."
Mr. Finn returned. The chickens were all OK.
As the firefighters started to leave, Mrs. Finn stopped one. "Thank you. We can't thank you enough."
