JACOB LAKE, AZ (AZFamily)— Jacob Lake is located in the midst of two large wildfires. Residents were forced to evacuate for two weeks due to the situation.White Sage Fire. However, a few days ago, they were received back and are now striving to establish a new routine amidst the conflict.
Happy faces and enthusiastic assistants filledJacob Lake Innon Monday afternoon. The cabin is situated among the pines of theKaibab National Forestand the small community of Jacob Lake is regarded as the entrance to theNorth Rim of the Grand Canyon.
The Marshall family has been in possession of the lodge for 102 years. “I was born into this,” Marshall stated. “So my great-grandparents established Jacob Lake Inn in 1923.”
However, three weeks ago, during the height of their tourist season, theDragon Bravo and White Sage Fires erupted around them.
Fire is not uncommon in this area, but within 15 minutes of receiving an “SET” status evacuation alert, they were informed it had been escalated and they needed to leave right away.
We rushed to collect whatever we could,” Marshall stated. “In fact, some of our managers didn’t even have time to take any clothing.
They collected all they could, ranging from Native-made rugs and jewelry to dog food. Nevertheless, certain items had to remain, even though they were important to the family.
A door frame where all my cousins and some of my nieces and nephews have their heights marked, and the last thing I did was take a photo of it,” Marshall said. “And it makes me cry every time, but you can’t remove it from the wall. I didn’t have the time.
When they departed, they were uncertain about the duration of their absence. Marshall noted, with relief, that they soon discovered firefighters were gathering in the neighborhood, indicating it was a secure location away from where the firefighters believed the fire might spread.
“In those circumstances, you simply have to hope and pray that everything will turn out fine, and we are incredibly thankful that it did,” she stated.
Following two extended weeks, the evacuations were ended at Jacob Lake and Marshall along with her family went back to their home.
Although the lodge was preserved, they are now facing a new issue: a shortage of visitors during the high season. Nevertheless, individuals continue to travel for hours to assist them.
“People who actually arrived and said ‘I’m here to buy cookies’ and we had them prepared on the very first day,” Melinda said.
But the inn has been around for 100 years, and Marshall is optimistic it will endure for another 100.
“We are unsure what to anticipate, so we encourage people to come and explore these stunning locations, and once more experience a part of Arizona that is distinct to the state,” she stated.
A GoFundMe pagehas been established to assist the Jacob Lake Inn in its recovery.
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