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GAP FIRE As he posted updates on the Gap blaze, firefighter found own home surrounded by flames Comment By Buffy Pollock for the Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Buffy Pollock for the Mail Tribune Posted Sep. 4, 2016 at 5:39 PM Updated Sep 4, 2016 at 5:45 PM By Buffy Pollock for the Mail Tribune Posted Sep. 4, 2016 at 5:39 PM Updated Sep 4, 2016 at 5:45 PM » Social News HORSE CREEK, Calif. — Volunteer firefighter Scott Morgan was about to celebrate his 41st birthday with a barbecue of tri-tip and shrimp with friends when the Gap fire exploded. "One of the guests all of a sudden says, 'They're dipping out of the pond to fight it' and we just started watching the smoke come literally running up the mountain," Morgan recalls. "It jumped Horse Creek. That's when the reality really started to shift." A lifelong Horse Creek resident and firefighter since he was 18, Morgan had seen his share of wildfires. But the Gap fire, which sparked Aug. 27 in the Seiad Valley, would prove a little too close to home. Within a day, the fire had mushroomed to 21,000 acres. Morgan says he began posting photos and updates on Facebook to keep community members informed, but he still figured the fire was days away from the property his great-grandfather had homesteaded at the turn of the 20th century. That Sunday morning, he went to church. About 5:30 p.m., he cooked his celebratory tri-tip. Then all hell broke loose. "Spent 150 bucks on this dinner — and nobody got to eat it," Morgan says. Morgan sprang into action to help fight the fire. "Just in the time it took me to get back with the engine, this thing is on top of the ridge behind my house just running towards me," Morgan says. "The lights were still on in the house which told me the cell tower was working so I posted on Facebook and I said, 'Everybody pray. This thing is moving really quick.' "Finally, I told my wife to get the kids and get out. The Forest Service decided it was moving too fast for them, so they were about to pull out. I figured I had better do the same." As flames engulfed most of Morgan's property and he prepared to leave, his nephew, Casey Rainey, also a firefighter, showed up. Previously assigned to the nearby Grade fire, Rainey was sent home by his captain to help family. "We could still do this," Rainey told Morgan. "I told him I already wrote the house off and he just told me, 'No way,'" Morgan says. Rainey agreed the chance of saving the house was dismal, but said he wanted to try until the heat became too much. "I have family all through Horse Creek Valley, so I just decided I would make my way through and stop at every family member's place along the way," Rainey says. "When I got to my uncle's at about 8:30, it wasn't just a fire anymore. The crazy thing was it had created its own weather system and was coming down, throwing spot fires everywhere, just surrounding us. The garage and outbuildings were all burning, the lawn was on fire. But this was the place my great-great-grandpa settled from Ireland. We had to try. "We fought for as long as we could," Rainey says. "The heat finally got to be too much and we didn't even have time to put the hose back. We had to chop the hose and run." Morgan posted photos of his driveway involved in flames, noting, "I made it out. I'm at the church recuperating. Have some smoke inhalation. I believe the house and everything we own is total loss. On my way out I could see that the fire was up to Rudy Murieen's house." Morgan debated with his wife about whether or not they would rebuild. Then, at 2 a.m., they got a knock on the door of the place where they were staying. "It was my brother and he said, 'Your house is still there!'" Morgan says. "Divine intervention is the only way I can explain it. I posted on Facebook, and I meant it, 'This is what you call a miracle.'" While he raced to check on his house and pick up some necessities, Morgan continued his Facebook posts. "As long as I was able to get connected, I could get on and post what was going on. Some people wanted to know about houses still standing, others were trying to make sure their family was okay," he says. Family friend and former neighbor Pam Simmons, now of Yreka, says Morgan exemplifies the type of people who live in Horse Creek. "The community is a big family and you take care of your own," she says. "There are people feeding people, residents helping the firefighters put out the flames and everyone helping each other. It's an incredible place." Morgan is quick to point out that he was one among many trying to help the entire community weather the fire. "We treat others the way we want to be treated, so I felt like we all just had to do as much as we could do," he says. "If I was out and couldn't check on things, I would want to know about my house and my family, too." Reach reporter Buffy Pollock at [email protected]. By Buffy Pollock for the Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Buffy Pollock for the Mail Tribune Posted Sep. 4, 2016 at 5:39 PM Updated Sep 4, 2016 at 5:45 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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