Home Is Where the Horse Is

A woman loses her horses when evacuating from a wildfire and has a terrifying experience trying to rescue them by herself. On September 9, 2015 the Butte Fire, near Jackson, California, broke out on a steep wooded hillside. That first day it seemed to be under control. But the next morning with changing winds and temperatures upwards of 105 degrees, and after 5 years of serious drought, the fire whipped out of control. With no warning, sirens were blaring and the local police were telling them to get out NOW! Facing a wall of fire, Morgan and her husband and a few of their animals escaped with their lives. They had to leave the ranch and most of the ranch animals behind in the flames, including 3 prize horses, and their 14 year old deaf dog Max. Within moments the fire swallowed up the road behind them. And burned over 71,000 acres of wild lands, consuming almost a thousand homes, and taking the lives of 2 of their neighbors. And instantly more than a thousand people were homeless, here in rural Calaveras County. Living alone in exile with only a few of her beloved pets, and not knowing the fate of her ranch or her pets there alone for 8 days in the fire zone, is a grueling story. A story every person living in the wilderness should read.