A former Bolles School swimming coach now living in Redding, California, packed up his family and barely got out in time last Thursday as the giant flames from the Carr Fire swept into their backyard.
Those flames eventually swallowed Steve Lazaraton's home -- leaving nothing behind.
“We kind of walked around the property for about an hour, just checking things, you know,” Lazaraton said. “You’re looking for that keepsake, something that you can take away. Nothing was there. It was completely gone.”
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Lazaraton's family returned to that rubble yesterday, a week after packing up their SUV with clothes, mementos and pictures.
“My oldest child packed a suitcase full of stuffed animals, which I adored,” Lazaraton said.
The 206-square-mile Carr Fire 100 miles south of the Oregon border was 39 percent contained after destroying 1,060 homes and many other structures.
Two firefighters and four other people have been killed since the blaze, which ignited July 23, raced with extraordinary fury toward the region's largest city. More than 1,300 homes remained threatened Friday.
Fire escape timeline
July 23 -- Carr Fire starts in Whiskey Town, California, about 10 minutes north of Redding. Lazaraton says they didn’t think anything of it at the time.
July 25 -- Family sees flames from the house balcony miles away behind mountains.
July 26 (morning) -- Lazaraton sees neighbor packing SUV in the morning and neighbor says they should evacuate. They start packing but aren't sure yet.
July 26 (evening) -- Family realizes fire is coming toward them; Lazaraton's wife and one of their children leave as Lazaraton preps the home but fire spreads into backyard by 6:45 p.m.
July 27 -- Seems fire is going away but then winds pick up and it roars back. Lazaraton says it's first time he felt scared; they head two hours south to Sacramento.
Thursday -- Family returns home for first time and finds house gone.
What's Next? -- Family is staying temporarily with a friend while dealing with insurance, etc. Lazaraton's two daughters start school in about two weeks.
Lazaraton said his family moved to Northern California two years ago from Florida. He said they saw the flames of the Carr Fire in the distance early last week, but by last Thursday, they realized it was time to get out.
Lazaraton said they saw the flames coming around 6:30 p.m. and within 5 to 10 minutes, the fire had spread about a mile, right into their backyard.
“It’s probably like the winds of a hurricane with fire associated with it -- that’s probably the best way I could describe it,” said Lazaraton, a former teacher at Bolles, the well-known Jacksonville private school.
Even after losing everything, Lazaraton's family remains positive, thankful that they already have a temporary place to stay and that they're all together and safe.
Other families haven't been as fortunate.
The Carr Fire is now the seventh-most destructive inferno in California history, state fire officials said. Of the six people who've been killed, three were members of the same family.
Lazaraton asked for people to pray for all the families who have lost their homes or loved ones in the fires. He said his own family has received overwhelming support, including from all the way in his former hometown of Jacksonville.