Memories of C-City fire remain a year later

Monday marks the one year anniversary of the fire which destroyed 13 homes north of Colorado City. That Sunday afternoon, an out-of-control wildfire swept down Hwy. 208 toward the city, charring an eight-mile wide path.

The fire was one of several in the area which combined to destroy 7,000 acres in Mitchell County and 120,000 state-wide.

On the afternoon of February 27, 2011, families ran for their lives as 50 mph winds drove the fire through high brush at phenomenal speeds. As the police and sheriff’s department knocked on doors, telling people to get out, few had time to do anything but run.

A year later, reminders of the fire still remain on Hwy. 208, north of Colorado City. Some of the homes which were destroyed were never rebuilt. On some sites, mobile homes stand where two story houses once did, while some lots simply remain bare, with nothing but blackened trees to mark where families once spent their lives — lives which will never be the same.

One of the homes which burned that fateful day was the one owned by Jerry Strain. As she evacuated her home a year ago, the fire was coming up behind her home.

“Fifteen minutes after I left the house, the roof caught fire.” Strain said. “The wind caused sparks and flames to go up over the brick and ignite the roof.”

Her home was destroyed completely that day, taking with it all of the memories she had collected – pictures, address books, the furniture she accumulated over the years. This past Thursday, Strain moved into her new home on the same spot.

“It doesn’t quite feel like home,” she said. “But when I look out the window, it becomes familiar again.”

Strain said the insurance she had carried paid for a lot of the building, but since she decided to build a slightly bigger house, she had to pay for that herself.

“This time, I had a metal roof put on the house,” she said. I still get a little nervous when the wind blows, but I am starting to get a little more comfortable here. I am back where I am supposed to be.”
On Hwy 208, six occupied homes were destroyed, one on CR 145 and two on CR 141. The homes belonged to Chip Northcutt, Rafaela Franco, Bobby Richardson, Suzanne and Jimbo Morgan, Jerry Strain, Mrs. Tommy Wright, Willie Davila, James and Paula Harris and Jerry Crook.

The fire started on Cedar Bend Road, just northwest of CR 1229, west of the airport. The high winds caused power lines to pitch and collide together, creating sparks which had little trouble igniting the dry landscape.

Remarkably, all the families managed to escape the fire with their lives, though Willie Davila was slightly injured trying to protect his home.

Firefighters from around the state converged on C-City to battle the blaze, representing 23 different departments. Local churches and the Colorado City Civic Center were opened as residents were evacuated from Hwy. 208 and even as close as 17th and 18th streets. Kristi Lee manor was also evacuated.

Firefighters battled the inferno until the early hours of the morning of the 28th, before catching a short, well-deserved break. However, the men were back in the trenches at first light to watch and handle hot spots to prevent further flare-ups.