Amador County – A Calaveras County man helped a neighbor and his dog evacuate their home last Friday during the 100-acre “Middle Fire” as the two drove vehicles through flames and smoke to escape the fast approaching fire line.

Rick Gregorich was sitting with friends and family on Middle Bar Bridge about 4:45 p.m. last Friday when they noticed thick smoke near the home of their friend, Jim Pipes, 80, on Gwin Mine Road, in Calaveras.

Gregorich found “a truck fully in flames,” the grass “burning a good 20 feet up the side of the hill toward Jim’s house.” He drove his truck around the burning truck, partly through the ditch, to Pipes’ gated driveway. He unlocked the gate, went to the house, and warned Pipes, who was unaware of the approaching fire.

Gregorich called for help on Pipes’ cell phone, saying two houses were threatened. The fire was about 100 yards from the house and topping the trees. Just as Gregorich thought the house might be lost, a big fire plane came right over the roof of the house and “dropped its full load of red fire deterrent.” He said “the whole load dropped all around us and was a direct hit on the fire blazing in the trees.”

A fireman drove to the house as “a huge blaze topped the trees,” the wind seeming to blow at 100 mph. The fireman said: “You guys have to get out of here now.”

Pipes drove his car, and Gregorich drove his truck. “The fire had changed directions and it was burning right toward the road” they were on. “At the bottom of the hill where the road runs parallel to the creek,” he “noticed the fire burning on both sides of the road,” and trees were “burning over the road.”

Gregorich told Pipes they should stay there as long as they could, then make a break through the fire: “We only sat there for about 4 minutes when the fire was upon us,” he said. “We drove through such thick smoke that you couldn’t see anything. But, flames were on both sides.” Pipes followed “right on his bumper,” straight through.

The first thing they saw, coming out of the smoke, was a fire truck and 10 firefighters in the creek trying to save East Bay MUD’s walking bridge. He said: “There are 2 houses up there that need saving.” They headed up toward the houses, and other crews followed, including one spraying the burnt truck, which was “already a pile of ashes.”

Both houses were saved. It burned “right up to and all around his house and outbuilding, but his house was saved.” Authorities said Pipes’100-foot clearing of weeds is what saved the house. Gregorich said: “He does it every year, but this year he saved his own home.”

Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.