When a deputy standing in your driveway tells you to evacuate because there's a brush fire raging 100 feet from your home, you run inside, leash up your two dogs and evacuate.
What you don't do is carry your trash can and recycle bin from the street to the side of the garage.
"Ma'am, don't worry about your trash. I'll take care of the garbage. You need to leave."
But when you're frazzled and terrified at the same time, that's what happens: you don't think clearly.
The real reason I dragged my trash can away from the street was to make a clear path for firefighters because, honestly, I thought I was going to lose my home Thursday night.
I live in the 2900 block of Southeast Bella Road in Port St. Lucie, the site of Thursday night's fire, dubbed the Luck Wildfire, that started as a small blaze around 5 p.m. and eventually erupted into a 70-acre wildfire, forcing the evacuation of 40 homes.
More: Flare-up reported in week-old wildfire; crews monitor Thursday brush fire
More: PSL, Fellsmere wildfires fully contained; FPL working to restore power lines
This month marks my 20th year in Florida. I've survived five major hurricanes and more than a few late-afternoon thunderstorms that felt like hurricanes.
Not ever — well, until Thursday night — did I truly fear for my life, my loved ones, my dogs and my home.
There's something about a fire that makes your hands shake and your mouth go dry. There's something about flames licking the eaves of your roof and the fence along your backyard that turn you into a shaky, blubbering mess.
Hurricanes bring dangerous wind and torrential rain — once they finally arrive. In September, didn't it feel like we were watching Hurricane Irma's bouncy "cone of uncertainty" for weeks before she finally made landfall in the Florida Keys?
More: A look back at Hurricane Irma
More: Storm of the Century walloped Florida 25 years ago
I guess that's the difference between the two weather phenomena. We usually get ample time to prepare for a hurricane. A fire, though, can sneak up on us faster than you can pack a bag with photo albums, important papers and dog food.
Take it from me: You don't have time to think, let alone remember to grab a cell phone charger or a change of clothes.
But there are things we can do to prepare for fire season.
Officials with the Florida Forest Service recommend families create an emergency supply kit, similar to one they'd put together before hurricane season. Stock it with:
- Three-days worth of nonperishable foods and three gallons of water per person
- Map marked with at least two evacuation routes
- Prescriptions or special medical items
- Change of clothing
- An extra set of car keys, credit cards, cash or traveler's checks
- First aid kit
- Flashlight
- Battery-powered radio and extra batteries
- Copies of important documents (birth certificates, homeowner's insurance policy, passports)
- Pet food and water
"Have a kit ready because you have to leave faster in a wildfire," said John Pendergrast, senior meteorologist and the fire weather program leader with the National Weather Service in Melbourne. "Your 'heads-up' might only be a moment's notice."
The timing of Thursday's wildfire, and my subsequent evacuation, was either perfect, eerie, or eerily perfect?
Just a few hours earlier, I had talked with Melissa Yunas and Tim Elder, the spokeswoman and district manager for the Florida Forest Service, for a story about the 20th anniversary of the 1998 wildfires that ravaged most of the state from May to early July.
That year, more than 2,200 fires ignited, burning in 39 of Florida's 67 counties, according to the National Weather Service in Melbourne. The fires received media attention for two months, mostly because of the massive evacuations, including the entire civilian population of Flagler County, about 45,000 residents.
But I never thought I'd become a statistic in one of my own stories.
The evacuation Thursday night was the largest one on the Treasure Coast so far this year, according to St. Lucie Fire District officials.
Luckily, the fire district, with assistance from Martin County Fire Rescue and the Florida Forest Service, was able to contain the blaze by 10 p.m. without damage to homes, except for a shed and some fencing.
After returning home about five hours later, I walked over to a few firefighters to thank them for the tireless effort to save our homes. I offered them food, water, pets of my dog, Gonzo, and my first-born child. They smiled, white teeth peeping through soot-covered faces, and they said, "You're welcome, ma'am. Be safe tonight."
Well, gentlemen, because of you, I am.
Firewise tips
If you live near nature, you could be at risk for wildfire danger. Here are a few tips to reduce wildfire risk:
- Create a defensible space of buffer zone of at least 30 feet around your home. Keep your grass mowed. Rake leaves and needles and disposes of them properly.
- Thin trees limbs to create a break between tree crowns in the yard and those in the surrounding forest. Remove any branches that overhand or touch your roof.
- Exercise caution when cooking outdoors. Clear a 10-foot area around barbecue grills and do not leave them unattended.
- Place stove, chimney and barbecue grill ashes in a metal bucket, soak in water for two days, then bury in the soil.
- Store gasoline, oily rags and other flammable materials in approved safety cans and place cans in a safe place away from buildings.
- If you have a fireplace or wood burning grill, stack firewood at least 100 feet from your home or as far away as possible.
- Be sure your garage, shed or other storage areas are neat enough to allow a firefighter to enter in full gear with a hose.
SOURCE: Florida Forest Service
Maureen Kenyon is TCPalm's trends reporter, keeping Treasure Coast residents updated on hot topics and happenings. Do you have a story to tell? Want to start a conversation? Send an email to maureen.kenyon@tcpalm.com, call 772-221-4249 or follow her on Twitter @_MaureenKenyon_.
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