Surviving the Park Fire: A Story of Resilience and Community
Hey friends,
Welcome back to the Pawsitive Profit blog! Kara here, and I want to share a deeply personal and emotional experience with you. Recently, Butte County, California, went through a horrifying park fire, and I want to open up about how it impacted my life and our community. This story is not just about survival, but also about resilience, the power of community, and how we can rise above challenges together.
A New Schedule for Pawsitive Profit
Before diving into the main story, I have some exciting updates! We're rolling out a new schedule for Pawsitive Profit episodes. From now on, both our YouTube episodes and podcast will be released every Thursday. We're dialing it back to one episode a week to help stay consistent and work on an exciting new project that I cannot wait to share with you. So, mark your calendars for Thursdays!
The Day Everything Changed
On July 24th, everything turned upside down. The fire started in Chico, California, and at 3:30 PM, I received a text from my sister-in-law: "Heads up, there's a fire in upper park." The initial panic led me to our local Facebook group where I found chaotic updates and alarming photos. The fire quickly grew from 2,300 acres, and I realized we needed to act fast.
The Evacuation
Living on a shared family property without a vehicle, I found myself in a stressful situation. My daughter, who had her own harrowing experience escaping the Camp Fire while seven months pregnant, insisted I evacuate immediately. I hurriedly packed essentials like clothes, medicines, dog food, and all my tech equipment into a Rubbermaid tote. The thought of leaving behind my dog treat baking supplies was heartbreaking, but there simply wasn't enough room.
Flames from the Park Fire behind me as I evacuated
The Emotional Journey
As we began our journey through a terrifying back road to safety, a mix of emotions hit me. It was surreal seeing flames up close, and I experienced a terrible flare-up of my ankylosing spondylitis, which made everything worse. Despite the chaos, my daughter and I kept each other strong, and the songs playing on the radio strangely matched our escape—everything felt like a dramatic movie scene.
The Support of Community
Once safe, we stayed at my mom's house with other evacuees and later moved to a friend's fifth wheel in Chico. Checking updates via the Watch Duty app and community Facebook groups became a routine. Generous souls, like Veronica Crespo from our dog treat baker Facebook group, sent donations that helped us immensely. Veronica, your kindness meant the world to us, and this episode is dedicated to you.
Returning Home
Distributing donated line lunches from Cal Fire to the Forest Ranch community
When we finally returned home, the sense of relief was overwhelming. Our house and trailer were still standing, though the power outage meant all our food had spoiled. The journey back wasn't just about checking our home; it was also about helping our community. We distributed firefighter "line lunches" and other donations, including dog food and kitty litter, to those in need. The way everyone came together was truly inspiring.
Distributing donations from Butte Humane Society and North Valley Animal Disaster Group
Moving Forward
This experience taught me the importance of resilience and community. The anxiety and emotional strain were overwhelming, but finally setting up my office again and seeing my pink paw lit up brought a sense of normalcy back into my life. I have two new t-shirt designs I created during the evacuation, and as a thank you for your support, we're offering a 15% discount on the designs in the THANK YOU, VERONICA category. Use the code FIRE15 at checkout!
A Word of Encouragement
Life throws unexpected challenges our way, but it’s crucial to keep moving forward and stay positive. This is my dream, and I'm doing it, no matter the bumps in the road. We're all in this together, and together, we can overcome anything. Thank you for your continued support and understanding.
Join the Conversation
I can't wait to reconnect with our Pawsitive Profit community. Leave me a message in the comments, let me know how you’re doing, and share your creations. Don't forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel and follow us on social media for updates and more content.
Until next time, keep baking, keep smiling, and treat yourself well!
Kara 🧡
