Family escapes raging Silver fire as their home and pets burn

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A DC-10 tanker drops retardant ahead of the fire line on the mountains above Snow Creek Village near Cabazon as the 16,000-acre Silver fire in Riverside County continues to burn. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

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An inmate fire crew from Northern California awaits orders in Snow Creek Village near Cabazon before scaling the mountain in the background. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

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Snow Creek Village resident Keith Jackson rakes up the debris after firefighters cleared the combustible vegetation around his home. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

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Inmate fire crews are led to the front lines by a Cal Fire captain above Snow Creek Village near Cabazon. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

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The Silver fire burns east toward wind turbines and a view of Morongo Casino, Resort & Spa in Cabazon. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

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A tree burns amid scorched property along Highway 243 in Riverside County. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

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Property, buildings and machinery lie in ruin along Twin Pines Road in Riverside County. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

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At sunset, California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection firefighter hand crews from Miramonte knock down part of the Silver fire. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

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A California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection firefighter from Miramonte sports a smile after fighting the blaze in an area along Highway 243. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

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The fast-moving Silver fire pushes east toward a view of Morongo Casino, Resort & Spa in Cabazon. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

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The Silver fire that has scorched more than 10,000 acres in Riverside County rages east toward wind turbines and the desert. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

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A firefighter keeps a close eye on swirling embers while battling the Silver fire. The fire had destroyed at least 12 structures Wednesday night. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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Firefighters work into the night to try to control the Silver fire, which has burned more than the 6,000 acres and forced the evacuations of communities near Poppet Flats, south of Banning, on Wednesday. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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Flames from the Silver fire burn close to Highway 243 south of Banning. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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Flames from the Silver fire burn into the evening as crews try to get a handle on the blaze that has forced the evacuation of several communities. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

By Christine Mai-Duc and Jason Wells

Aug. 8, 2013 12:54 PM PT

In the early afternoon hours of Wednesday, Kymberley Heighes was at a friend’s house when she got an unnerving text message from her neighbor.

A photo showed a billowing wall of smoke bearing down on her Poppet Flats home near Banning.

As the Silver fire exploded -- it has so far consumed more than 10,000 acres and badly burned a local resident and injured four firefighters -- Heighes sprang into action.

“It wasn’t just normal smoke, I knew it was bad,” Heighes said.

As the fire line rapidly expanded, Heighes, 50, and her 18-year-old son hopped into a vehicle and raced up the hill to her home, where two other children and a menagerie of pets -- including goats, ducks, 30 chickens and four dogs -- were waiting.

As they approached her home atop Ellis Drive, she could see the flames and smoke approaching and knew her house would burn.

“I fell apart. … I just drove and prayed,” Heighes said.

Heighes neared her house and saw her children in a car, escaping with a neighbor. Still, she begged them to help her save the animals.

They were only able to rescue two dogs and a pet rat. Even then, the winds were screaming and within minutes they were surrounded by smoke.

The flames were just 20 yards away from the house when firefighters told them they had to leave.

“By then, there was ash in the air, the smoke was all black, it was hard to breathe,” said Heighes’ 14-year-old daughter, Emily.

As of midday Thursday, the Silver fire had damaged or destroyed at least 15 structures, although officials could not confirm how many of those were homes. It had also injured four firefighters and sent one civilian to the hospital with “head to toe” burns.

Heighes said she and her neighbors got confirmation that their homes had not survived the wind-driven fire line when television news footage revealed their smoldering remains.

She had escaped a similar fate in 2006, when firefighters were able to beat back flames from the devastating Esperanza fire that had come within 10 feet of her home.

As the Silver fire continued to push east Thursday, firefighters were able to make some headway, hitting 10% containment. But the evacuation orders continued, extending into Black Mountain.

The fire broke out around 2 p.m. Wednesday and soon exploded into an uncontrolled blaze that moved quickly around Banning, sending more than 1,500 residents in mandatory evacuation zones fleeing.

Some of them were forced to “shelter in place” after the fire cut off exit paths.

In the frenzy, Heighes didn’t even have time to grab boxes of important documents and family photographs that she had prepared in advance after the Esperanza fire.

On Thursday, at the mostly empty Red Cross evacuation center in the gymnasium of Beaumont High School, she stood at an insurance agent’s table and broke down.

“I just can’t stop thinking about them. I care about my house, but my animals more,” Heighes said.

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