R-Wild Horse Ranch Fire Update
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July 12th Update:

Information from the WHOA Office - sent at 11:27 am, 7/12

The Ranch is currently running LIMITED OPERATIONS 7 days a week.  The Snack Bar, Stables and overnight Owner Services will not be available until further notice.  The Ranch is running on minimum manning due to very poor air quality, and the Ranch Manager has decided to limit employee exposure until the air quality improves.

Steve Compton
WHOA Office Manager




July 11th Update:

Information from Ranch Manager Brian Craig - sent at 2:05 pm, 7/11
Dear Owners,
 
The fire danger is gone but could return over the next few months. We are working on creating bigger fire breaks around the ranch to help prevent fire danger in the future. The smoke lifted a little last week but it's back in full form this week. We do have two major fires on the north and south side of the ranch that are still really big. These fires are 15 miles away from us and present no danger to us at this time. However the smoke may be here for a while.
 
As you all know the first step to healing the horses on the ranch is clean air. We may not have clean air for a while. I have spoke with several owners who have offered boarding in the local areas should we need it. Because I have no idea when the air will clear out I have decided to move the ranch horses. I didn't want to move them to a local area because the air within this part of the North State is really bad. I spoke to Dottie at the Hornbrook Ranch in Hornbook California and they are willing to let us board our horses there. Hornbrook is located about 3 hours north of Redding on I-5. We will be moving the horses starting Saturday 07/12/08. We will cover the cost of Feed and labor for Hornbrook. Once the air is clear we will return the horses to our ranch. I know this is a hot topic for some owners and I understand the concern for the horses. I was hoping the smoke would clear after the fire we had but that does not seem to be in the near future. I know the Hornbrook barn manager and she is very good at what she does. I would like to extend a heart felt thank you to the Hornbrook staff and Board of Directors for supporting us and showing how connected we as R Ranch owners still are.
 
We will not be taking any private horses off the ranch but we will be contacting all private horses owners and letting them know what we are doing. Private horse owners will be responsible for moving their horses should they decide to. We will continue to care for their horses on a daily basis. I thank all of you for your time and understanding during this sad time here on the ranch. If you have any questions please let me know.
 
Regards,
Brian Craig
Ranch Manager


July 4th Update:

Information from Ranch Manager Brian Craig - sent at 12:46 pm, 7/4
Dear Owners,
 
The stables will be closed until further notice due to the smoke surrounding the area. Once the smoke has lifted we will begin our 6 week recovery program. I have been in contact personally with Animal Control and a 3rd party Vet out of Southern California. Some horse may take longer to recover if they have had problems breathing in the past. However they should recover just fine.
 
Another topic the Vet in Southern California brought to my attention is that the ash that has fallen can cause micro cuts around the bottom of the horses feet and on their backs. She stated that brushing the horses will solve this problem. Because we have had no rain owners will need to continue to brush their horses until the ground gets wet enough to dissolve the ash.
 
The Jr. Wranglers will be up this weekend and they will be assisting the ranch staff in grooming the horses. Owners are more than welcome to assist anytime their up here in grooming the ranch horses.
 
As far as the fire is concerned we are safe now. The fire moved very quickly and our main priority was to protect the main 250 acre compound of the ranch. We were able to do so with a lot of hard work and commitment from all agencies working on this fire. I would like to thank our local CDF crews and our own Fire Department for their hard work and commitment to protecting the ranch.
 
We are trying to get back to business and we are starting it off with the 4th of July weekend. I want to thank all of the owners coming out this weekend to support the ranch and help us get out minds off the last weeks events. I hope all of you enjoy the weekend and I am sorry to all who could not make it.
 
As we continue the summer we need to remember that fire season has not started just yet. We have learned a lot of things over the past week and we are going to try and put systems into place that will allow us to communicate to the owners should we ever have another fire near or on the ranch. As these systems are implemented I will inform everyone.
 
As a last note I would like to educate all of the owners about the web site and how easy it is to sign up for information regarding the ranch. Please take some time to view our web site and sign up for e mail alerts. This will assist in getting important information to you about the ranch. Please tell your fellow owners and assist them if needed in signing up. Thank you all for your time and I hope to see you up here soon.
 
Regards,
Brian Craig
Ranch Manager


June 30th Update:

Information from Board member Dennis Halbasch - sent at 5:29 am, 6/30

Cal Fire has opened highway 36, however Brian has requested that no owners come up  until Thursday so that the employees can get back to work and get the Ranch into shape that the owners expect.

We only lost some brush on the north side by the road to Begum creek.

 Brian would like all of the owners to come up for this weekend, he hopes to have the place running as business as usual by that time.

   

  








Information from Board member Denise Breese - posted on Yahoo at 10:46 am, 6/29

Hi Everybody,

Were having blue skies irregularly but steadily... Almost better than last Saturday when all of this happened. The only fires at present are the backfires being deliberately set by CDF to make the area more safe. The road is still closed, we'll let you know when that changes.

I have a lot to tell you from these last 24 hours. All of it good. For now I have to go into town for supplies for tonights dinner. That BBQ you all want has already been delivered to the crew. Tri-tip and all the trim. Tonight it's mexican food.

Of course more to follow on that....

I'll be in touch soon.

-Denise



June 29th Update:

Information from Board member Pete Little - sent at 6:05 pm, 6/28
Fellow Owners:
 
I arrived at the Ranch at 11:00 am Saturday, and wanted to share these obsevations after two hours on the ranch.
 
Cal Trans is turning back anyone that is not on the very short list of approved officials. Two owners were turned around while I was there. The roadblock is approximately 1/2 mile east of the ranch property line
 
The smoke was at about the level it was last Sunday morning when I left -so a lot better than it had been the last several days.
 
The stables were Normal, all the horses were eating and milling around -seemed OK. I saw a note on the barn that none of the horses had a cough this morning. 4 dozen large carrots were quickly eaten by the horses. I had enough for everyone.
 
Next, drove up to the upper lodge -several CDF firemen were there, chatted with them, they were very happy to have use of the showers on break. Power is on, pumps working, pool filters working. No phones.
 
Denise is at the upper lodge, emailing info out to the various web sites.
 
Brian, the CDF Battalion Chief, Dale and the Bulldozer Supervisor all are cautiously hopeful that the weather and wind would hold favorable - as of 1:00 pm, none of the predicted lightening storms had come through, and I noted only broken cumulous clouds giving way to blue sky over the ranch (through the smoke layer).
 
Brian and the Battlion Chief believe, based upon the current conditions, that the Ranch is saved.
 
Fire made it to the line set up on the north side of 36 /west side of  Beegum Road, where it was stopped. You can see fire damage and smoldering trees there, on the west side.
 
No fire damage to area C. Ball road area was saved back where the houses are. I  drove down to C area, - Normal; Storage Yard - Normal. Rest of the ranch that I could observe - Normal.
 
My assesment, listening to all, is that the horses are safe, the buildings are safe, and the ranch escaped a major castarophe mainly due to the hard, heroic efforts of our ranch fire department, and I don't use the word heroic lightly. There is very little fire damage to the ranch.
 
I caution all to not attempt to go to the ranch until the evacuation is called off, and 36 reopened. There needs to be open acess for the fire equipment. Everything is under control on the ranch, and the horses are being cared for.
 
Also, it must be said that conditions can change, and there is an emergency evacuation plan in place by Tehama County, they can start to get the horses out of there in an hour if necessary. At this time, however, that need seems unlikely.
 
If anyone has specific questions, I'll try to answer.
 
We are all very thankful that first and foremost , none of our employees or fellow owners were hurt, and that the horses all seem to be doing well.
 
Thankfully,
Pete Little



June 28th Update:
Information from Board member Denise Breese - sent at 4:59 am, 6/28
 
Hi Guys,

Sorry to take so long to get back to you.

I've been monitoring the sites and I'm pleased to see that owners are calming down. The posts from today have become a far more accurate portrayal of what's really happening, CDF is more cautiously optimistic with every hour the wind continues to be still.

The Ranch is still under evacuation and I urge all owners not to come up here - this is Hunt Dennis' & CDF's request, not just Brian's.... the fire is still quite active and could restart quickly if conditions change. I saw a hot spot glowing behind Brian's house in the distance as I left. We are not out of the woods just yet, but will be shortly if the weather holds. [Hunt just told me that an hour ago]

There was a minor mix-up between fire crews, Platina Station lifted the fire threat around 1pm today but hadn't consulted with R-Crew. R-Station had too many hotspots and not enough resources and so reinstated the fire threat & closed the road again. More assistance is scheduled for tomorrow since they feel they've gotten it 50% contained they want to press their current advantage.

The fire is unusual in that it has spared 75% of the trees and has stuck to the grass and brush for the most part. The smoke at present is not any different than what I encountered in the Napa Valley all this week, or on the way up Hwy 5 on my drive here. Brian has consulted with our vet and the county's vets etc. several times and all were in agreement that the horses were safe and well with plenty of protection and care. I'll see if I can capture a video for you tomorrow. I see from  Pete's post below that action has been taken to insure that continues.

In the 72+ hours since Tuesday night when all hell jumped out of Beegum Gorge and Brian called to tell me so.., I coped with my fear by trusting these smart courageous men who volunteered to stay behind for us. Trusted that they would make good command decisions in all of our interests, and I am not disappointed. I won't second guess the well informed, careful and painful decisions they've been making. Even more so now that I have all of the details. I'm so proud of their effort, they played for 'keeps' and won. I'm told we have a very good Fire Dept and a Manager who fits every definition of the word.

Our guys made all the difference, several firefighters told me so including Hunt and Captain Dale. Incredibly Brian has had much business to contend with and a fire to fight. A large group of owners arrived and were blocking some roads and they took Brian off the front line where he was defending his own home to solve the problem! [Hunt respects that Owners are Brian's to deal with so it falls to him to get them to stay evacuated.]

By all accounts including Hunt's the wall of flame by Bill and Alice's was headed straight for the main compound and there was nothing that could be done about it. Hunt resigned himself to save what was defendable on the south side and then the fire just stopped moving towards us . He said he'd rarely seen a fire run that quickly, several miles in only an hour and then it just stopped in it's tracks. [lot's of prayers?] He said if it hadn't there was very little he could have done to stop it.

I've spent the last 6 hours with Brian. He didn't shoot me when he saw me, I took that as a *really good* sign. It was a pleasure to meet Hunt Dennis and sit with the fire crew thru dinner, hear what they had to say about all the goings'on. John Brown's expertise about the local terrain has been our ace in the whole. He may get the M.V.P. award. John's been directing the bulldozers making the firebreaks. Rich joined the squad recently and  has earned his stripes. And of course David and Bob have proved their capabilities time and time again.

Universally the guys have all lost track of their days. [I know how it is when you get THAT busy!2] ... but doing well. The chaise lounges at the upper lodge are being put to good use by tired firemen, even Hunt Dennis is asleep by the pool.

Time to go, I'll be in touch again,

Best Regards,

Denise
 
Information from Board member Pete Little - sent at 8:58 pm, 6/27
 
All:
As of 1900 hours- Tehama County Sheriff's Dept. Animal Rescue -Barbera, conferenced me in with CDF at the Ranch, no new reported hot spots -  no request for additional equipment or firefighters, all seems under control at the moment. I asked about Salt Creek, Beegum Road (question from Ed Marion); no info about fire spreading from CDF. Teahama County not recommending evacuation of horses at this time. They have my cell, and guaranteed they would contact me in the event of change of conditions, and in the meantime, if the situation became critical for the horses, they would  act immediately. 
 
I plan to be at the ranch at approximately 10:00 am Saturday. I will send latest info then.
 
Pete
 
 
 
Information from owner Karen Chandler - posted on Yahoo at 8:34 pm, 6/27
 
Well, I am back from today's trip to the ranch. All went well, though I did not see a soul around. When we went up around noon, hwy 36 was totally open. When we came down about 5:00, it was closed again and they said something was burning on the ranch, possibly down on the back side of Maintenance, towards Beegum. Hopefully, they will succesfully stop its travels. Julie continues to be our eyes and hands with the horses, though David and Brian are still totally keeping up with feeding them and taking care. Julie keeps checking on them. She has also been going out Ball Road to Alice's house to check her horses. All looked well as of today, and CDF is apparently keeping her horses fed. The private horses still on the ranch (about 12-14 of them) have been moved into the smaller two horse pens, so if animal control does end up moving them, they will have an easier time. Large horse trailers have been lined up so the horses can get out of there quickly if Brian and David find it necessary to give the go-ahead. So far, the horses are fine, though they are continuing to breath a lot of smoke. While on the ranch, I only went to the barn and to my trailer over in the culdesac on the other side of 36. (I did not want to wander around and impede the
work of the CDF) From those two places I saw no flames and no smoke, other than the smoke generally filling the air. The air quality today was definitely better than last night.

That is all I know for now. Things continue to go fairly well. Oh, and I got Lacey loaded and off the ranch this time. It took calm patience, and a half dose of tranquilizer but she is now happily grazing with Poncho in Gerber.

Keep the prayers going.
Karen Chandler
 
 
 
Information from Board member Denise Breese - posted on Yahoo at 5:43 pm, 6/27
 
I'm here. The road is still closed but I was permitted in. The smoke was patchy., very similar to the entire drive up here. Truthfully... better just past Dibble Creek when I lost cell reception than anywhere on Hwy 5. It gets a little thicker up here but not much. When I arrived the horses were eating and calm. They didin't care about me until I pulled out the carrots, then I was noticed.

I petted and scratched everyone I could reach for you all and have spoken to one of the CDF guys in charge.

Gotta go,

-Denise

To view cell phone videos by Denise taken on Friday, click the links:       Video 1            Video 2
 
 
 
Information from owner Lin Murray - posted on Yahoo at 3:48 pm, 6/27
 
Hi all,

I'm in Cottonwood and drove up to the ranch late this morning & have just returned.  When we drove up at 11am the road was open. All the horses were moved from vacation and in the stable horses pens in
front of the barn.  No areas immediately surrounding that you could see from the road or stable area was burned. No horses were in the barn. All are outside and either on the backside of the barn or in front of the stables. All have fresh water. The smoke is clearing and the expected winds are not yet there. Hopefully, it'll stay that way.

Don't get me wrong - the air is far from clear. But much improved over what we've had here for the last few days.

We drove to C are but not into it. We could see from the road, the storage area was fine.

On the north side of C area across 36 - it was burned along the road. That may have been one of the controlled burns they did as they did several along 36 to keep things safe.

Ed was monitoring things at the ranch & in touch with the fire chief directly.

At this time, no ranch horses are being moved. No horses seem distressed - no coughing or wheezing.

Obviously from our vantage point, we have no idea what is on the other side of the hills.

News up here stinks - you probably hear more on your news stations than we do. The maps on the news channels are sketchy at best.

More thunder & lightning storms expected. Let's hope they die out before they get here.

Wishing everyone safe keeping.

Lin Murray

Cottonwood, Ca
 


Older messages below this point

The following messages are from the Yahoo "Politics" site:

Hi everyone. It is 1:30 in the morning and I just got back from helping move some horses. Many owners jumped to assist when the CDF said they would be okay with our coming and getting the horses off. The ranch horses are still in place, and they have lots of clear
land around them and so should be fine even if the fire does head to the barn. The privately owned horses are for the most part off the ranch now. A few are still there and I will pray for their safety. I was not able to get my own horse, Lacey, as she will not load in a
trailer, but I did move her from a pen filled with trees and some dead wood, to one of the 2-horse pens along the road which seem much safer. When we took Gina's horse, Poncho, out of Vacation, his best buddy, Jupiter, really wanted to come with us, so we took him. And other people moved some of the other private horses, wanting to get them to safety. The air is so dense with smoke that it is harmful for the horses to keep breathing it. Getting them to cleaner air is a wonderful thing. There are no horses in Vacation at this time, all
having been either removed from the ranch, or put in two horse pens. Now, can someone help me get in contact with Jupiter's owner so I can let them know where he is and that he is safe. We will assume responsibility for getting him back to the ranch when all is clear.
Anyone who can help me get in touch with that owner can reach me at 530-895-8397. While we were on the ranch, the smoke was very thick, much like a dense fog. But we saw no flames so the fire is currently not near the barn or compound, though it could just be over a hill. I don't know. Julie is not evacuating from Platina and will be going to the barn to feed the remaining horses as long as she is able to get there. Hope to see everyone up at the ranch soon, and that all is well.
Karen Chandler (and Gina)



It's been grim but Karen's post made me feel WHOLE a lot better. It was hand to hand combat along Ball Rd. all morning yesterday from the wee hours. The flames came within 20 feet of the road in some places. The fire crews took a stand below the Upper Lodge & Brian's house on the west side and they won the day yesterday. When the fire jumped the road and went by Lawson's I really started to worry because of the horses and terrain. The fire is on both sides of the road now as of yesterday.

I'm thinking that Les & Ed (maybe even Brian) are likely the people who persuaded CDF to let owners in to get their personal property out yesterday evening.

I'm worried too, we all are. The good news is we know some of the guys on the fire line and they are not the sort of people that give up easily. They cherish what we have at stake as much as we do.

Best Regards,

Denise



They are also forecasting more dry thunderstorms/lightning today and tomorrow..... just keep up the positive thoughts and wish for the best and safety of every person, place and thing my prayers are with all of you up there taking care of R-Ranch.




The following message was sent on June 27th at 8 am by Board Member Dennis Halbasch:

Good Morning John,
 
I was at the Ranch last night at 9:00 pm. Brian and the crew are all ok but very, very tired.

The Ranch has not lost any structures as of that time but the fire was activley burning in the C area and on the north side of 36 at the gate to Beegum Creek.

 Brian has asked that owners stay away from the Ranch as the winds are expected to pick-up over night and the fire move into the main compound. All phones and power were out at 9:00 as well.
 
 I am writing this at 8:00 am and have no info as to what happened last yet. I will write back as I get info, Please add a message on the websites that the Ranch is closed till further notice.
 
 Thanks,

 Dennis



The following message was sent on June 27th by the Bell Family:

We, the Bell family (new owners) are praying strongly for the fire fighters and the ranch and the folks up there, and the dear horses.  Please, yourselves, pray strongly to God to give the firefighters luck and safety and courage and strength, and for God to have mercy on our ranch and spare it.

-- Douglas K. Bell and family
Pleasanton



The following message was sent on June 27th at 7:39 am by Nikki concerning our horses:

I have no new info on the Ranch as far as the fire impact.  A friend of ours and a ranch owner who lives in Red Bluff was able to get our horses off the Ranch last evening.  According to Jim Gallusser, there were a number of horse trailers going up to the Ranch as he was heading down.  It looks as if some of those with horses on the ranch have been able to make arrangements to get them off the Ranch.  The fact that highway 36 was reopened about 6 p.m. yesterday is encouraging.

According to Robin Black, Ed Marion, Les Caldwell, Julie Graham and Darryl have been going up to the Ranch to feed the horses so it looks as if the remaining horses are being looked after by concerned and dedicated owners.  I am sure that David, Brian, Bobby, John, and Rich are  concerned about the welfare of the horses also but their main focus must  be the protection of the Ranch.  Additionally, Robin said the wind direction had changed last night.


The following message was sent on June 26th at 12:15 pm by ranch manager, Brian Craig:

Hello Directors,

 As I am sure you know we did not hold the line at Teedoc. The line was moved to Ball Rd. The fire hit Teedoc 100% by midnight and moved to Ball Rd by 1 am.

The ranch was evacuated and will remain evacuated until maybe Sunday.

We held the line at Ball Rd with very limited resources. But we sure as the day is long held it. One house was lost on Ball Rd and the fire danger is still there. Our department was released for a four hour break at 11:30 am. We will be on the front line until the fire passes by the ranch. We will have several acres lost by the time this is over on both sides of 36. The main compound has not been affected and continues to be the main focus.

The horses are fine. We will keep them safe.

CDF expects another big fight tonight and plans are in place. The ranch has full power but no phone service. We may not have power for much longer.

All owners and employees made it off the ranch safely. Bob, John, Rich, Dave, and myself are the only ones left. We are committed to cause and thus far we have been the ace in the hole for CDF. I am very proud of these guys. Their commitment is strong.

I have no way of informing the owners expecting to come up this weekend. For that I am sorry. If there is a way the Directors can get that a message to the owners I would be grateful. Maybe we can post on our website and Johns website. Please inform the owners not to come up.  The last thing anyone here needs to worry about is the loss of life.  I will continue to e mail as I can pending the power holding up. Let's all pray that the main compound holds up. She's big in size but she also gives us an upper hand.

Thank you for letting me know my family is safe, Denise. I had no idea, just hopes. I will talk with and see all of you soon.

Regards,
Brian Craig
Ranch Manager