Forest fires have recently ravaged Northern California, affecting many in the Bear River community.

Sophomore Zach Fink shared his unique perspective of the fire.

“It affected me not very much, but a lot at the same time because they said in the state of emergency that we were in a mandatory area for evacuation,” said Fink. “So we already had everything ready to go because my family is just like that… One (fire) was about a hundred yards away from my house and the other about two-to-three miles.”

Fink continued on about how serious he believes fire really is.

“People underestimate what fire does, so they mess with it too much,” said Fink.

Freshman Jenna Watson discussed how the fires took her family by surprise.

“Well, I warned my brother because he was the only one home,” said Watson. “We were kind of taken by surprise.”

Student counselor Cindy Henry-Grimm continued on about how surprising the fires were.

“I think sometimes that we are so inundated with the media, that we tend to get overwhelmed,” said Ms. Henry-Grimm. “It’s just when it hits us that it really makes an impression.”

For some, such as Sophomore Madison Mantooth, it was a very scary experience.

“There was a lot of smoke and stuff nearby and it was floating around and it made my lungs hurt,” said Mantooth. “The fire was just over one of the ridges from where I live so it was scary because I didn’t know how fast it was gonna come towards my house.”

Overall, many believe that the fires were handled very well and are thankful for the firefighters who risked their lives to save the day.

“Thankfully the firemen got it under control before it came to my house,” said Mantooth.

Ms. Henry-Grimm also expressed gratitude for how it was dealt with.

“I think it was handled so well and people had places to go, so I don’t believe students were fearful,” said Ms. Henry-Grimm

Fink also had a light-hearted opinion about the recent fires.

“Honestly I was hoping my house would burn down because you get insurance money and you get better stuff, and my yard would be clean for once,” said Fink. “I did just clean my room though so that would suck.”