Fire victim: Feelings of home irreplaceable

When her home burned in the Waterfall fire, Mary Ann Randall realized material things can be replaced - but the familiar feelings of home are much harder to duplicate.

Randall, her husband, Brian, and two of their four children built the home on Timberline Drive from the ground up.

The house held 10 years of family memories, including one of Randall's favorite things: sitting in her living room marveling at the view of Eagle Valley and soaking in the silence.

"It really was a beautiful place," she said. "You can rebuild, but you can't rebuild the beauty."

She says it's difficult for her to go back to the charred, gutted remains because she can't help but notice what isn't there: the trees and the sound of the breeze in their branches.

Despite firefighters' dogged efforts, her home was engulfed by flames at approximately 3:30 p.m. July 15, the second day of the fire.

That morning, she attended her prayer group and hoped she might be one of the lucky ones. The flames appeared to be moving away from her neighborhood.

But the winds changed that afternoon while she shopped at Wal-Mart on Highway 395. She called her husband on her cell phone to say she had a bad feeling.

"The way that wind was whipping around, I knew nothing was going to survive," Randall said. "The conditions were ripe for something horrible to happen."

She raced up to the house to find flames licking at the ridge above. She grabbed a few pieces of pottery, and turned around to face her husband charging up the driveway, telling her to get out of there fast.

From a relatively safe spot at the base of Lakeview Estates, the Randalls watched their home burn to the ground.

Now they sleep in their friends' guest bed and deal with their insurance company.

"I'm sure you can't imagine what it's like to have to itemize everything in your home," Randall said. "It's just - it's just impossible, really."

She said she's been completely numb ever since the beginning of the fire, and she hasn't shaken it yet.

But as the 24-year director of education for St. Teresa of Avila Catholic Church, Randall is surrounded by faith, something she counts as invaluable.

"My faith community is what has gotten me through this," she said from her office on Lompa Lane. "There is such goodness in people."

Randall grew up and raised her children in Carson City, and she has no intention of leaving.

But other than that, she's not sure of anything right now.

"I think it's best we don't make any big decisions right away," she said. "I'm totally overwhelmed with it right now, but you just have to put one foot in front of the other and count your blessings."

Contact Robyn Moormeister at rmoormeister@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1215.