Preparing for wildfire evacuation: What to take?

Homeowners affected by the Hayden Pass Fire in Fremont County have faced, or may face, a difficult decision: What important items should they take with them in the minutes before an evacuation?

Evacuees from the 2013 Black Forest and 2012 Waldo Canyon fires in El Paso County followed the advice of authorities to take important documents, medicines and necessities.

However, many evacuees said they lost possessions with financial or sentimental value that they left behind because they never thought the fires would destroy their homes.

Natalie Cannon, a mother of four kids in the Skyway neighborhood of southwest Colorado Springs, cited another factor Tuesday when she met a challenge from KRDO NewsChannel 13 to prepare for an evacuation in five minutes or fewer.

“What I found was I have important items scattered all over the house,” she said. “That makes gathering them take longer. I need to have them centrally located. It’s good practice. You’re never as ready as you think you are, because things can seem overwhelming in an emergency. But I think I’m ready.”

Cannon said she’ll also consider allowing her kids to participate in the decision on what to take.

“I haven’t considered that before,” she said. “Maybe getting them involved reduces stress on them.”

Mike Lin also met the five-minute challenge, gathering his two pets and a packet of documents and identification into his car.

“These are my irreplaceable items,” he said. “Everything else that I might need, I can stop at a store and get.”

It’s a subject anyone living in a wildfire zone should always consider.