LOLO — TheMormon Creek Fireblazed 20 acres, damaging many structures and panicking the local community Sunday night.
Savanna Nelson, a resident of the neighborhood burned by the Sunday wildfire, remembers the night's events as traumatic, but she is thankful to live in the supportive community of Lolo.
Nelson was watching TV at home with her mother when a neighbor called the house, warning them of a possible fire.
"My mom was alarmed, so we looked out the window and there was just so much smoke," Nelson says.
Immediately, Nelson ran to alert her neighbor and his young children, where she saw flames consuming their backyard. The neighbor lost his entire shop and pool and sustained burns attempting to dig fire trenches to stop the blaze, according to Nelson.
After she saw the children were safe and on the move, Nelson continued to alert the neighborhood.
“I was just in panic mode, I ran over to Savanna Lane to my best friend's house, just to let people know, like, we have to evacuate," Nelson says. "There was just no time.”
The evacuation order was issued by the Missoula Rural Fire District just before 7 p.m.
Nelson waited in her car down the road, prepared to direct incoming firefighters.
"I was waiting for the fire department and then I turned around and this whole pasture out here in front of my mom's house was all in flames."
On Monday, residents were walking around the neighborhood, checking on their friends and neighbors. According to the Missoula Rural Fire District, three people were treated for smoke inhalation and one firefighter sustained a knee injury.
Damage to property and structures was extensive, including 12 sheds, 4 garages and shops, 11 vehicles and RV's and one mobile home.
“Everybody’s just really shaken up," Nelson says. "There were just so many flames, I didn’t know if my mom and brother were going to make it out, and I’m so grateful that everybody is okay for the most part, but it was definitely traumatic.”
Despite the damage and the trauma, Nelson says the community has come together to support each other through this tough experience.
“It’s all stuff that can be replaced. And I think we’re just coming together strong as a community and as a family, and that’s what we do around here," she says.
