MEDICAL LAKE, Wash. — In a story of resilience, Rich Milender and his family share their harrowing experience during the Gray Fire in Medical Lake, Wash., which brought them dangerously close to losing their home of three decades.
Rich Milender, his voice filled with gratitude, recounts, "I don't have to start my life over. I am so grateful." Milender's sentiment echoes as he reflects on his near loss of the residence he called home for 30 years due to the Gray Fire.
As smoke clouded the air on a Friday afternoon, Milender's concern grew, but he never anticipated the imminent danger. "I'm just blown away by the fact that it got here, where it started and how it got to here," he shares, emphasizing the unexpectedness of the fire's rapid progression.
The situation turned critical when flames came into view. "There's fire; it just horseshoed right around us," Milender recalls. With the fire rapidly encroaching, he knew it was time to evacuate.
From the midst of evacuation, KREM 2 encountered Milender and his wife at the Airway Heights Wal-Mart, where they had sought refuge in their trailer after leaving their home behind. In a rush, they gathered their belongings, throwing whatever they could into their trailer, and narrowly escaped the inferno.
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The fire's devastation circled Milender's property, at times dangerously close, with flames only 10 feet from the house. Milender points out one of the eight sprinklers they employed to defend their property.
Sharing the same property, Milender's son-in-law, Caleb Garrison, describes the emotional toll of the night. "It was emotionally draining that night for us," he reveals, uncertain of the fate that awaited him at home. Upon finding their homes miraculously intact, Garrison expresses the indescribable relief that washed over them.
In an astonishing turn of events, the fire left everything in ruins except for their homes. With teary eyes, Milender breaks down, saying, "We broke down, my wife and I. Thank you… thank you for stopping it." Their emotional reaction speaks volumes about the significance of their homes being spared.
Now, Milender's focus extends to his community. He is actively involved in supporting his neighbors, even making sandwiches for frontline fire responders. This act of kindness underscores the resilience of individuals and the power of unity in the face of adversity.
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