‘It makes your heart skip a beat.’ Shaver businesses, residents worried by another fire season

Will Stufft isn’t terribly worried about the Blue Fire.

But he’s not, not worried either.

As the owner of two Shaver Lake businesses — Pub ‘N Grub and the Shorthorn Bar and Grill — Stufft lived through the devastating Creek Fire and understands how quickly a fire can threaten a community.

So, when another started close to Shaver on Tuesday afternoon, “it makes your heart skip a beat,” Stufft said.

The Blue Fire is burning west of Bretz Mill Campground in Blue Canyon south of Shaver Lake. As of Wednesday afternoon, it had burned 400 acres and was 25% contained. The blaze could be seen from vantage points near Shaver and helicopters and planes could be seen and heard all morning making drops to support crews building fire lines.

Shufft heard from a firefighter friend in the area that Shaver Lake isn’t in any immediate danger and the National Forest Service said the same thing Wednesday morning.

But Shufft knows that could change.

“After last year, you never know what’s going to happen,” he says.

Misha Boylan almost skipped work on Wednesday because of the Blue Fire. He works at Shaver Lake Sports and lives in a family cabin on Bretz Mill Road. The Creek Fire missed that area when it burned through last year.

The Blue Fire is closer, he says.

It is currently burning at the back of his neighborhood. As of Wednesday, the area hadn’t been evacuated, but a warning was in place, he said.

The timing of the fire — days before the busy Fourth of July weekend — is a worry for the business. The store’s manager thinks a new fire danger could keep people from visiting, Boylan said, especially since many of the cabins in Boylan’s neighborhood are used as rentals or for AirBnb.

“We’re all worried obviously,” said Teresa Foster, an employee at Cressman’s who lives in an area that is at risk of being evacuated. As of Wednesday morning, the area had not been evacuated, but her family was packed up and prepared.

Her children packed all of their stuffed animals, as children do.

Cressman’s General Store burned to the ground as the Creek Fire burned through Highway 168 at the top of the four-lane. The gas station and a makeshift store reopened in late May.

Fire crews used the parking lot as a staging area Wednesday morning before heading to the fire, Foster said. Seeing the amount of fire personnel on the ground in the area was a good sign, she said.

“People are concerned for sure,” but they aren’t letting that stop them from the goal of rebuilding from the Creek Fire.

“Everybody wants to be here,” she says.

“Our community is really strong.”

This story was originally published June 30, 2021 at 2:32 PM with the headline "‘It makes your heart skip a beat.’ Shaver businesses, residents worried by another fire season."