The morning of the Creek Fire, hundreds of families at Huntington Lake awoke to discover they were in imminent peril.  That everyone made it out safely is due in no small part to the efforts of the Huntington Lake Volunteer Fire Department, who went door-to-door across the lake ensuring that everyone was aware of the oncoming danger and evacuation order.  So the community was devastated to learn that the VFD was among the hardest hit by the fire in the area, losing their primary station and much of their equipment.

Fire Station 262 was located in the heart of the area of Huntington Lake that received the most damage, at Kennolyn Camps near Line Creek.  Station 262 was the primary firehouse for the VFD, where volunteers like Brother Chris Donnelly lived while on call waiting to respond to whatever emergencies arose in our community.

“We had two bedrooms there; a little sitting room,” Brother Chris told Marie Edinger of KMPH Fox 26 News last month. “We prided ourselves as trying to be in the engine and rolling within 2 minutes.”  Many members of the lake community can vouch for this level of service, as we have seen the VFD’s responsiveness first-hand when there have been emergencies in our tracts.

State Fire Marshall inspectors called the fire behavior in the area near the station “the worst they had witnessed in their career.”  Flames burning at nearly 1500 degrees Fahrenheit created “fire tornadoes,” uprooting entire trees and destroying everything in their path.

Station 262 was particularly critical due to its location, as it was was centrally located allowing quick service from Dowville in the west to China Peak in the east.  The department’s Station 62, located near China Peak Landing, was undamaged; however, this station is several minutes further east, meaning the department’s ability to respond to emergencies on the west side will be significantly compromised until a replacement is built this summer.  In addition to the station, the department “lost a significant amount of equipment, tools and Personal Protective Equipment,” according to Peter Allbright, a VFD board member and volunteer firefighter.

Despite the losses, the VFD has continued to serve the community throughout the crisis.  Their understanding of our area was critical to the response, Allbright said.  “You won’t find a more dedicated group of Huntington lovers than those associated with the fire department. Along with being on the ground with them, we did everything in our power to make sure the firefighters and incident commanders had the best knowledge on how to defend Huntington during this firefight.”  The VFD also kept the community informed with regular updates on the battle through their Facebook page.

Once the immediate crisis stabilized, the VFD shifted gears, providing damage assessments for every cabin at the lake and notifying owners who had lost cabins.  If you’ve been up to the lake during the re-entry process, you’ve likely seen them patrolling to ensure the community stays safe while collecting our belongings and closing our cabins for the winter.  They have also worked to put out hot spots in the area, as these continue to pop up with regularity.  Notably, they are doing this down a fire station and without much of their equipment.  Allbright estimates the equipment loss to be in the $20,000 range, but the station will cost much more to replace.  The VFD is still assessing the full cost of this replacement.

“The Board has begun first steps to selecting a new location for the firehouse and possible builders,” Allbright said.  “If there [is] any government funding that comes along for the rebuild, it may come with strings attached, so we need to be flexible but move as quickly as possible to start the permitting process.  A significant amount of money has been raised via Facebook fundraisers and individual private donations.  There will be a new fundraising effort to build a new firehouse, but we’re waiting until we know what we need to responsibly fundraise.”

People looking to help can donate to the HLVFD here, but donations aren’t the only way the community can support the rebuilding.  Allbright said the VFD will be looking for community members to help in the physical rebuilding when it begins next summer.  “It would be great to have folks who have experience in construction volunteer to finish the building.  In order to keep costs down, we anticipate the general contractor to build the shell of the structure, and to have volunteers finish the interior of the new building.  Any electrical contractors or plumbers willing to donate time, people or resources would be greatly appreciated.”  People looking to donate can send an email to allbright62@gmail.com.

Allbright wanted the community to know that, despite the effort needed to rebuild, we can continue to count on the VFD to serve our community well.  “From the board level and from all the volunteers, we just want to say how sorry we are for everyone that lost a home or cabin.  Two members of the board lost their cabins as well. We want people to know that we are here and will always be here for the community, because it’s our community too.”

Sean Wilson is the creator and administrator of the Raised at Huntington Lake project, and a fourth-generation cabin owner at Idylwilde Tract.  You can reach him at sean@raisedathuntingtonlake.com.