Posted on 11/01/2003 1:42:01 PM PST by Joy Angela
Saturday, November 1, 2003
Crestline man an information lifeline
Good samaritan stays behind to help care for friend as
fire rages
By GARY GEORGE
Special to the Daily Press
CRESTLINE — When deputies evacuated this tiny mountain
town nearly a week ago, Ed Ham decided to stay put and
care for a diabetic friend who is dependent upon a
respirator.
Ham figured that even six or seven minutes outside in
the smoky air would have put his friend, Larry, in
danger. So Ham, 61, retrieved a gasoline-run generator
from his glass company, Crestline Enterprises, and
hooked it up. He packed his own motor home with
important personal belongings and was ready to go but
decided to remain.
Then the vigil began.
The two men watched as fire climbed the far side of a
nearby mountain.
"We could see the glow of the fire on the smoke clouds,
and flames a hundred feet high were evident briefly a
couple times," Ham said in a telephone interview Friday.
Firefighters had prepared the area with a backfire. The
wind was luckily blowing against the flames. The men
were safe for the night.
Sunday the men panicked. Television reporters were
issuing confusing and sometimes inaccurate information.
So Ham started phoning in on-scene reports to "Talk
960," a Victorville radio station.
"I decided that I would be the link for all the people
who left their houses, and the station put me on the
air many times," he said. "I gave the word that the
area was not totally devastated, that the damage caused
by the fire was minimal and isolated. I heard that
people were relieved to hear this."
The man who refused to evacuate became an information
lifeline to those not allowed to return to their homes.
The station gave out Ham's phone number and the calls
rolled in.
"As of today, Friday, I have logged 174 phone calls.
People call and ask about specific addresses and if
their home is all right. I have been able to check out
98 percent of them, but I'm still not permitted to
drive to Running Springs, Hook Creek Canyon or
Arrowbear," Ham said.
One common caller request is to feed the animals left
behind. Ham has fed cats, dogs, fish, sheep and a horse.
The fire threat continued for the two men. By Wednesday
the fire was coming at them again, this time from Lake
Silverwood. Sleep was hard to come by.
Wednesday night the temperature dropped, the wind
shifted from the north to the southwest and a gentle
rain started — "just enough to squelch the sparks that
were causing the firemen such problems," Ham said.
That night, for the first time in days, Ham slept soundly.
Ham's concern now is low food supplies and gasoline for
the respirator and the refrigerator keeping Larry's
insulin cold. He's been trying to get gas from the Rim
of the World High School, but the bureaucracy won't let
him have any.
"I can't leave the hill to get gas because they won't
let me back. There's tightened security to prevent
looting and arson," Ham said.
Ham repeatedly praised the fire and police departments
and those helping evacuees.
"It's crucial for everyone to work together and help
each other unselfishly so we can get through this," Ham
said.
Ham's voice crackled with emotion when he relived his
decision to stay.
"I want to make it clear that staying behind when
you're requested to evacuate is dangerous and scary. I
fell into a trap and I've been able to make it as
positive as possible, but it's not a good idea. For me
it was a case of life preservation for my friend," Ham
said.
I listened to 690 AM on the day that Ed Ham called in with his fire reports.
I am so glad that Gary George did this story. He has captured Ham's beautiful spirit and act of love for his neighbors and their homes.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.