Mom Survives Camp Fire by Waiting in a Garage
This New Mom Survived the California Wildfires by Hiding in a Garage Moments After Having a C-Section
Heather Roebuck, a mom who had given birth via C-section at Feather River Hospital in Paradise, CA, knew she had to act quickly when she heard hospital personnel evacuating its patients due to the Camp Fire. Despite the fact she had given birth just moments before, the new mom left the hospital in an ambulance while her husband evacuated with their new baby daughter, Hallie.
"I heard over the loudspeaker that they were evacuating the hospital and I was shocked. 'Me? Us? Does that mean me? I know I am in the middle of surgery,'" she told Inside Edition. "It was just the scariest moment I could ever imagine."
During the ride, Heather's ambulance caught fire, and because she was still numb from the waist down, she couldn't move on her own.
"'Move your legs, move your legs, what if the house catches fire what if they can't get to you?'"
She decided to call her husband to say goodbye. "I . . . said goodbye to my husband and told him that I was sorry I wasn't going to be there for our kids and I love him and accepted the fact that I wasn't going to make it," she said.
Thankfully, Paradise Fire Chief David Hawks showed up just in time. He directed Heather and the other patients to take refuge in a nearby garage. "All I kept thinking was, 'Move your legs, move your legs, what if the house catches fire what if they can't get to you?'" said Heather.
The group successfully broke into the garage through the doggy door and spent over two hours waiting for the fire to pass. Once it was clear to leave, Heather saw that the surrounding houses burned to the ground.
Desiree Borden — the garage's owner — was happy it was put to good use after she evacuated. "When they told me that the home saved all of these lives I thought the home served its purpose."
