FIRE

Hi all-

I can't type for long as I'm currently working off of 2 hours sleep and I'm ready to head back up to bed. Just wanted to fill you in on what happened last night. I haven't had to time to watch any local news, but Pals living in my area might have already heard.
I'm teaching a coaches course all week-end, so last night I headed off to bed at around 11pm. An hour later I was woken up by a loud BOOM. Still dazed and confused by what had happened, my heart stopped when my dad came bursting into my room a minute later yelling "get up, grab a jacket and GET OUT...there's a fire". Along with my neighbours and my parents, I stood outside and watched 2 homes on my street burn down. Not just randoms homes, but these two homes were one house over from mine. The fire started with a gas explosion (which was the boom I heard) and spread to the next house, then started to come dangerously close to igniting my house and my other neighbours'. My house backs onto a creek, which is covered in brush and dried grass, and soon sparks from the fire started heading towards the creek. I just stood there in absolute shock, watching as a fire raged towards my house and another one was close to starting behind it. I don't think I've ever prayed so hard in my life.
You know those campfire "bonding questions" when people always ask questions like " what's the one thing you would save if your house burnt down?". Last night that was a reality for a lot of us. My house and my neighbour's were placed under mandatory evacuation in case the fire spread to us, but we had a fast chance to go in and salvage anything important. My poor mother ran for our photo albums, but I was in such shock I didn't even know what I wanted. I ended up just grabbing my purse and cellphone.
Luckily, BY THE GRACE OF GOD, everyone made it out alive and uninjured from both homes that caught fire, and the firefighters were able to contain the fire before it hit my house.
One home is completely destroyed. It was hard to see the damage in the middle of the night, but looking at it this afternoon, there's nothing left but a skeleton of a former house. The other house involved in half burnt-down, and it will be months before the family can move back in. One of the families involved is very close with mine. My parents do a lot with them, my sister is very good friends with their daughter and I dated their son for a while. It's heartbreaking to see anyone's house burn down, but I think it's worse when you know the people.
I was sleeping in boxers and a tank top, and when my dad got me out of the house I didn't know how bad the fire was, so I only grabbed sandals and a fleece jacket, so I stood outside freezing until 5 a.m., when we were finally able to go back inside. I had to be up for 7 this morning to teach, and even though I dozed in and out, I never really fell into a deep sleep. I've been searching for my own apartment, but I'm so glad I was still with my parents when this happened- I would have been a nervous wreck if I woke up this morning to this news.

Please pray for these families as they try to figure out a way to deal with all of this.

~lauren-mary