A Boulevard couple who had been unsure about evacuating found themselves surrounded by flames nearly 20 feet high in their own backyard after the Thorn Fire suddenly changed direction on July 15. CAL FIRE/San Diego County Fire firefighter-paramedics reached the pair in time, evacuated them, and got them to safety — and their home ultimately survived the blaze.
The rescue, first detailed in a story published by CAL FIRE on Facebook, described how the 74-year-old and 70-year-old residents called for help once the fast-moving fire changed course near their home. According to the County of San Diego Communications Office, San Diego Sheriff’s Deputy John Ferris and CAL FIRE/San Diego County Fire firefighter-paramedics Fredric Miltimore and Lee Woods had been diverted from the fire line on July 15 when they found the couple, identified as Patti Fisher and Dan Shanahan, struggling to move a wheelchair as smoke closed in around their property. Deputy Ferris requested an ambulance crew once he realized the severity of the situation, and the paramedics got the couple out before flames overtook the yard.
A Fire That Ignited Fast and Turned Faster
The Thorn Fire ignited around 3:30 p.m. that Wednesday near Buckthorn Trail and Clover Trail in Boulevard’s Live Oak Springs neighborhood, starting as a structure or vehicle fire before spreading into the surrounding dry brush, according to KPBS. CAL FIRE Captain Oscar Sotelo noted that 911 dispatchers had received multiple simultaneous reports of the fire before it took off. As the county’s account of the rescue makes clear, wildfires like the Thorn Fire can change direction quickly, catching even nearby residents off guard within minutes…