CAMAS — Camas-Washougal residents caught off guard Sunday by the rapid expansion of the Nakia Creek Fire and their sudden inclusion in the fire’s Level 3 “Go Now” evacuation zone said Monday they are “humbled and grateful” for the friends, neighbors and volunteers who have helped them find comfort during such a stressful time.
“It’s really important that people know what an amazing community we have in an emergency,” said Lorrie Conway. “We have such a great network of friends . … And I’m so humbled by the outpouring of people and support.”
Lorrie Conway and her husband, Shaun, have owned and operated Conway Family Farms, a boutique goat dairy and creamery in Camas’ Livingston Mountain neighborhood, for the past 35 years, and have only had one brush with a nearby wildfire.
“We had a close call about 12 years ago, but didn’t mobilize or evacuate,” Lorrie Conway said. “But we did start planning.”
The couple already had a heightened awareness that their property, located in a heavily wooded area, was more at risk from wildfires, and they’d witnessed drier weather conditions over the past few years, so the Conways had a good evacuation plan in place and were ready to move themselves, their pets and the 50 goats and sheep that call Conway Family Farms home.
On Sunday morning, however, with the Nakia Creek Fire burning near Larch Mountain, just a few miles from the Conways farm, an immediate evacuation didn’t seem likely, Lorrie Conway said. In fact, the Conways farm wasn’t even in the Level 1 “Be Ready” zone until Sunday morning.
“We had anticipated that because of the wind,” Lorrie Conway said, “but then, 20 minutes later, I went inside and all the phones were going off and it said, ‘go now.’”
The couple started calling friends who had offered the use of their livestock trailers in the event of an evacuation and were able to evacuate their 50 goats and sheep to pastures outside the evacuation zones on Sunday afternoon.
“Since then, we’ve just been glued to (fire updates) and trying to keep our family updated on where we’re at and just spending time with the animals so they have some familiarity,” Lorrie Conway aid.
Though the thought of losing the farm they built from scratch more than three decades ago haunts the Conways, she said she is heartened by the community’s outpouring of support and “knows the firefighters are doing the best they can” to save properties in wildfire’s path.
“I’m just humbled by the goodness in our lives,” she said. “We’ve got a great community.”
Camas Parks and Recreation Department Director Trang Lam was actually visiting the Conways’ farm with her husband, Cary Allen, on Sunday morning, when the alert came in that the Nakia Creek Fire evacuation zones had expanded.
Though Lam and Allen lived in the Bear Prairie area, a few miles east of the Nakia Creek Fire, their neighborhood wasn’t included in the evacuation zones until Sunday afternoon.
“We didn’t think they were going to evacuate our end,” Lam said Monday morning. “We couldn’t see flames from our home and, because the winds were heading west, we didn’t get any smoke, either.”
In fact, the first clue Lam had that her home might be in harm’s way was when the Conways told her their farm had just jumped from a “be ready” to a “go now” evacuation alert.
On their drive home from the goat farm, Lam said she and her husband could see smoke from the wildfire. Once home, the parks director began preparing for an evacuation. They put flammable materials in the middle of their field, soaked the lawn and packed the essentials: their 15-year-old cat, Paw Paw, and her food and supplies; their computers; pictures from world travels they couldn’t replace; and some warmer clothing in case their evacuation lasted longer than expected.
Then, Lam and her husband went to stay with relatives.
“We were lucky to have family in Vancouver,” Lam said. “And I’m taking this seriously, especially as an employee of the city. I’ve been getting in touch with my employees and there are a couple in the ‘go now’ evacuation zone.”
For anyone who finds themselves in the Level 1 or Level 2 “Be Ready” or “Be Set” zones, Lam said she would advise preparing now in case the fire shifts again.
“Start packing and be ready,” Lam said. “We were generally ready. We knew what we needed to do. Because, when the time comes, you just have to go.”
Some Camas-Washougal residents weren’t as lucky to have friends or family to stay with when they suddenly found themselves in the Level 3 “Go Now” evacuation zone Sunday afternoon. At least 29 of them arrived at the Camas Church of the Nazarene on Sunday evening, where the Cascades Region chapter of the American Red Cross had established an emergency evacuation shelter that could accommodate around 100 residents and their pets.
Dwight Daley, 76, arrived at the Camas shelter with his two small pups, 7-year-old Jaxie and 8-year-old Sammy, on Sunday evening.
Daley has lived on a 5-acre property north of Camas-Washougal, near East County Fire and Rescue’s Fire Station 93, for 16 years. When a neighbor came to tell him they were in the “Go Now” evacuation zone on Sunday evening, Daley first made sure his neighbors’ dogs had been evacuated and then grabbed his own beloved pets and left his home with little else.
A native of California’s Napa Valley, Daley said he is no stranger to wildfires and knew his property might be in danger if the Nakia Creek Fire expanded.
“I’m surrounded by giant, 120-foot fir trees,” Daley said. “I’ve seen the needles change on the trees — getting drier — and so I knew they were dry as twigs.”
Once he arrived at the Red Cross’ Camas shelter, Daley said he was amazed by the care and support he received from the volunteers.
“They took care of everything,” he said Monday. “They brought dog food, and someone just brought a dog crate for (Jaxie and Sammy). They have a fantastic staff here. And I’ve been telling everyone, ‘If you want to help, donate to the Red Cross.’”
Rev. James Austin, of the Camas Church of the Nazarene, said Monday he was happy his church could help those in need and was also grateful to see how many community members pitched in to help their neighbors.
“I want to say a huge ‘thank you’ to this community for the huge outpouring of support,” Austin said. “The Camas community has been so gracious and giving.”
