PIERCE COUNTY, Wash. — Shilo Alamillo was able to capture the harrowing moments of firefighters telling her and her family to leave their home, all while a wildfire destroyed parts of Fort Steilacoom Park across the street from her home on Aug. 16.
“The firefighters were banging on our door, saying, ‘you need to get out now, or you’re gonna die!’" she recalled. “We go up the driveway and this tree just goes up in flames.”
Fire crews from West Pierce Fire and Rescue were called to the scene Wednesday afternoon. By the time crews arrived, the fire was already well underway, and threatening homes.
“We tried to overpower it with our resources and water, but we realized early on that we weren’t going to be able to do that,” said Scott Kelly, assistant fire chief of West Pierce Fire and Rescue. “We positioned a lot of our apparatuses in those neighborhoods, knowing if that fire were to come, that was going to be our number one priority, protecting homes and protecting lives.”
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
An evacuation order that was issued out of precaution as fire crews battled the blaze is no longer in effect.
No civilian injuries were reported, but Chief Kelly said Wednesday’s event is a good example of why it’s important to be prepared.
He also said this is the first time he’s ever heard of an evacuation order be issued for Lakewood due to a fire. However, recent events such as the fire in the Jamestown mobile home community have him concerned that these kinds of events may become more common in Puget Sound.
"It’s very important that we’re prepared now,” he warned. “Evacuations is something we always talk about on the eastside of the mountains, but in the last three or four years, we’ve had some significant fire events here which tells me that it’s becoming more commonplace.”
Meanwhile, Alamillo said she’s glad fire crews acted so quickly, but she’s still trying to come to terms with what’s been lost, and how it could’ve been worse.
“It felt like I was going to lose everything. We had another cat trapped in our home, so it felt like we were going to be losing a lot of memorable things and memories that came with this house,” she said. “The entire valley is gone. All those memories, the beautiful views, the scenic routes, the trails, they’re all gone.”