Wildfire Miracles at Whisper Canyon

by Larry & Jennifer Lewis

Volunteer Caretakers of Whisper Canyon, 2010-2017

This story, written by Larry and Jennifer Lewis, was published in my book called, “Cultivating Lifelong Faith: True Stories of Encounters with God that Transform Lives” with the title “Wildfire at Whisper Canyon.” I decided to post it on my blog with a new title to inspire people to pray for the 2020 California wildfires caused by lightning storms. God is able! He can do it again!

On the night of August 22, 2016, a California wildfire threatened to engulf Whisper Canyon Christian Camp in flames. Brush and trees in the area had been stressed by five years of drought, creating fuel for the fire.

The wildfire, named “Chimney Fire,” started on August 13, six miles south of Whisper Canyon with Nacimiento Reservoir blocking its northward advance. A week later on Saturday, August 20, the fire was still on the south side of the Nacimiento Reservoir with winds blowing from the south. Even so, the Bryson Hesperia area, just west of Whisper Canyon, was under an evacuation order.

The next day, Sunday, August 21, we learned from Whisper Canyon neighbors who stayed to defend their homes that the flames were getting closer to camp and that one fire truck with four men began staging on site at Whisper Canyon. We hoped the fire was veering to the northwest, but it appeared to be just one ridge away to the south. That day, my wife, Jennifer, and I drove to Whisper Canyon to retrieve some items from the caretakers’ house but couldn’t get through. By that time Bryson Hesperia Road was closed and power in the surrounding had been turned off. When we got home that evening, I began asking for prayer that they would be successful in stopping the fire from reaching camp. 

We needed a miracle.

Prayers began pouring in for God to spare our beloved campground. Members of our PBCC church body, staff at Mount Hermon, and Whisper Canyon neighbors prayed for our camp to be spared so it could continue to be used for God’s kingdom purposes. We also prayed for God’s presence to be at Whisper Canyon, for the Lord to blow the winds in miraculous ways to protect Whisper Canyon, and that God’s mighty hand would rest on the ridge to prevent more flames from reaching the premises. We all prayed for a miracle to be seen by all and for God to receive glory and praise. That night the winds were calm and the humidity was high, but unfortunately, that did not stop the fire from progressing.

On Monday evening August 22, the fire crested the ridge to the south of the Whisper Canyon campground and was headed north toward our camp. It was also sweeping west, threatening Hearst Castle, then swerved back to the north and east. At about 10:00 p.m., the fire traversed up the south-facing slope of our campground and approached the camp’s infrastructure. By that point, there were multiple fire engines stationed on the property. Their trucks covered our entire soccer field.

Firefighters applied Thermagel, a fire retardant, to the back of the caretakers’ unit to protect it from any flames that might touch the house. We found out later that they raided our tool shed and grabbed 18 shovels, a chainsaw, a sickle mower, and weed suppression equipment. With those tools, they cleared dry brush around the buildings and under the yurts, ran the mower down the slope of the caretakers’ house, and chopped down a dead oak tree before the fire charged up the slope. All their efforts made the camp defensible.

Fire crews also set a backfire behind the caretakers’ house, which reduced the flames to about 60 feet or so. Without that backfire, the flames would have been closer to 100 feet and the firefighters would have had to retreat. These backfires were set within minutes of the window of time to set them. That was miracle number one.

The fire then encircled two sides of the camp, sweeping north and east around the bathhouse, behind the yurts, and up behind the chapel. Firefighters backed a fire truck down the driveway of the caretakers’ house and fought the 60-foot flames with their small tank of water using two fire hoses, one for each side of the house. All night long, fire crews held the flames at bay with only two fire hoses and that tank of water. Miracle number two.

At about 2:00 a.m. Tuesday morning, the fire progressed between the tool shed and the well, burning our neighbor’s field but not damaging any of the structures. We lost some lumber but no equipment or buildings were damaged. Even the eight yurts, which have vinyl roofs and acrylic dome skylights, which could have blistered or melted from the fire’s intense heat, were not harmed. Miracle number three.

The fire completely burned the hill with the white steel cross directly across from the camp’s amphitheater. But both the cross itself and the wooden amphitheater were also completely unscathed. Miracles four and five.

The most significant miracle was the timing. If the fire had crested the ridge to the south in the morning, it would have raced up the slope to the camp in the heat of the day, overwhelming firefighters. The nighttime advance gave firefighters a better chance at containment. Our efforts at reducing the fuel load by trimming trees beforehand also helped. The hand crews borrowed shovels and rakes from the tool shed as well as the chainsaw. They used bulldozers to cut swaths back and forth, cutting through barbwire fences as needed. All this played a part but the real miracle was the timing.

The other factor that played a significant role was the soccer field. Without this level acre of clear space, the camp would have been indefensible. It gave the fire crews a safe place to park their vehicles off the roads while they fought the fire by hand without airplane support. Although they could have done so, fire crews did not sleep in the yurts but were on duty for 24-hour shifts.

In March of 2017, CalFire investigators concluded the Chimney Fire was caused by a vehicle that ignited dry grasses. There were still spot fires for six weeks after the fire came through the camp. We could see spots glowing on the far hillside and could smell smoke well into September. But God was gracious in sparing our beloved campground, providing not just one miracle, but several. Clearly, he has further plans for this camp.

To God be the glory!

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the LORD, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”

For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler
 and from the deadly pestilence. You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day. —Psalm 91:1-3, 5

[Jesus said,] “If you abide in me, and if my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.” —John 15:7 

top photo credit: rocbolt Bighorn Fire 6/10/20 22:45 Pima Canyon via photopin (license)