Jeri Traush cultivates new plants growing in front of the wreckage of her burned home in 'Tween Lakes.

'This is Life'

On July 16, county resident Jeri Traush was the first person to lose her home to the Missionary Ridge Fire. She has lived on Sunny Lane in Tween Lakes, for six years. The 3 and 1/2 acre property is located on top of a hill, bordering the national forest. Her daughter and two grandchildren moved in with her in July, just before the fire began.

You work as a designer for Web Durango, and you put the Homeowner’s Guide to Fire Prevention online in early May. Did you have any fears about your own property while working on the guide?
I was worried way before doing the guide. The forest behind us was trashed. Nothing’s been done for years and years. I was worried about when it would happen, not if.

Did you have defensible space?
I did have some defensible space, but couldn’t get into the steep areas around my property. The subdivision had none at all. We had talked about it at meetings, and discussed renting a chipper.

Do you think any preventative measures would have made a difference to protect your home?
If we could have gone in and cut a fire break along the abandoned logging road behind the subdivision, it might have made a difference. I don’t know.

When were you evacuated?
The first time the fire tipped over the ridge (July 14?) we were evacuated the first time. We were awakened in the middle of the night. A man threw a piece of paper at us that didn’t really explain anything, and yelled at us to get out. We wound up going back home later on because it was actually a pre-evacuation notice, but we couldn’t sleep. The whole time we were packing up we were saying, “Where is it?” because we couldn’t see flames or smoke. We thought, there’s a lot of country between us and the fire, so we’ll be safe.

So you had some time to pack up your belongings. What did you take?
I had my car stuffed all that week. We took our animals and belongings to a friend’s house. It’s funny, I wanted to take the old flannel shirts and leave the new ones, because they meant more to me. There’s a whole list of things I wished I had saved. I wish I could have saved every last one of my potted plants.

When we first were evacuated we told the kids that we needed to load important things into the car. My 6-year-old grandson loaded his Play Station first. We then found him in the middle of the living room with his arms full of the treats my daughter had purchased for his lunches, and a bag of dog treats. When we asked him what he was doing, he said, “Well, you said to get the important stuff!”

What was it like to be an evacuee?
Up and down, up and down. One minute you get some good news and you’re OK, then the next you’re not. It was hard.

You seemed focused and calm at work.
Good act, huh? It was easier to focus on work and take my mind off the fire. It was actually good to be around the chaos of the newsroom, because I knew what was going on.

Some of your co-workers were evacuated later, and you helped comfort them.
I had lost my house by the time they were in imminent danger. It was like watching someone else go through a really bad flu that you had recovered from. You knew what they were experiencing, but you couldn’t do anything but sympathize.

Describe the fire the day it claimed your house.
There were 200-foot walls of flames and vortexes. It came down the ridge and sucked up the house and went back up, according to a firefighters who tried to defend the house. They had water trucks there to try and save it. They didn’t have much warning to get up there with enough equipment, and they were really close.

How did you feel when you heard your home was gone?
A neighbor met me outside the Red Cross shelter and said, “I’m so sorry.” I said, “It’s not my house. I don’t believe it.”

I had a delayed reaction. Then I thought, “What did I do? Why just mine?” I was the first, and I hoped I’d be the last.

After it sunk in, I felt the worst part of it was over. The waiting was awful. We just said, “OK, it’s gone. Now we move on.” And then we didn’t have to worry about it anymore.

What was your experience with the Red Cross after the news?
All the mental health people were waiting in a group to help victims. I was the first one. They had their guns loaded! (laughing) They were so helpful, concerned and compassionate. They were the best.

How did your family cope?
They had moved just three weeks before. I told the kids, “This is experience. This is life. It’s not devastating, it doesn’t ruin you. It’s part of it all, and you have to deal with it.”

When did you first visit your property after the burn?
We didn’t want to see it. We put it off as long as possible. The first time wasn’t that bad because there was still green. I just told myself, “Don’t look at the house.” I focused on what is there and not what’s gone.

How did others help you?
I received so much support and help from family, friends, and co-workers. That really made a difference. My son and his wife took us in and made us welcome. People I didn’t even know offered furniture and help.

Did you ever think about moving from your property – or even out of Durango – after this disaster?
It didn’t occur to me for a moment. Plus, we have really good defensible space now! (laughing) And I’m on the ridge so I don’t have to worry about mudslides.

We are determined to rebuild. We’re waiting for insurance money, and we have Plan A, Plan B, Plan C.

What was your experience dealing with insurance people after the fire?
It made all the difference to have a local agent, one I could actually talk to. They were wonderful. They took care of everything.

What kind of fire recovery work have you done?
Lots of rehab work, like trenches. We planted grass seed to prevent erosion, and it’s starting to grow. When I was up working on my property, doing erosion control, it was pretty dangerous. One tree fell in front of me and and one tree fell behind. You have to be careful.

What else is regrowing on your property?
I’m finding more tiny aspens that didn’t get burned. I had two little petunias blooming the other day. I couldn’t believe it. I guess their roots were untouched. Rhubarb and columbine are sprouting. It’s amazing what’s coming back.

What are your plans now?
We’re rebuilding and looking to the future. It’s going to be beautiful after the grass grows. It will be an aspen forest.

What advice would you give to others affected by the wildfire?
Don't’ dwell on it. It will eat you up. There’s always something better ahead. You just have to look for it.