The family spent that night with the family of Sierra’s best friend, but no one slept well. The following morning, they turned on the news. The newscasters called the fire the Thomas Fire and reported that it was one of the worst wildfires in California history.
Then images of their neighborhood appeared on the screen—and everyone gasped.
Practically every house was ablaze or had already burned to the ground. An hour later, they got the devastating news that their home—and everything in it—was gone too.
Their bikes, books, and beds had burned. Baby pictures, school projects, their PlayStation—everything had gone up in flames. All that remained where their house once stood was the brick chimney and a pile of ashes.
“I didn’t want to believe it,” Sierra remembers. “My best friend held me, and we just cried.”