Bayview Residents Visit Homes

Pam Silva, of Bayview, grabs a few items from her home of 28 years on Wednesday. She was evacuated Sunday during the Cape Horn fire. (SR photo: Kathy Plonka)

Debbie Paulsgrove needed to see for herself that her house was still standing. A neighbor told her Monday that it had escaped the wildfire on the Cape Horn Peninsula. He’d ridden over in his boat, and turned on all of Paulsgrove’s sprinklers. “You know it’s just material stuff, but it’s still our dream home,” said an emotional Paulsgrove, who hopes to someday retire with her husband, Keith, in the vacation home overlooking Lake Pend Oreille. “We’ve worked all our lives for this.” A brief visit to the house set her mind at ease. A firetruck was parked on the street in front of the house to address lingering hot spots, but nothing had burned. From the inside, “you couldn’t even smell the smoke,” said her son, Ryan Paulsgrove. About 60 Cape Horn residents who fled the fast-moving fire on Sunday were allowed to return to their homes briefly, under the escort of law enforcement and fire officials. They picked up medication and changes of clothing. Some checked on pets they had to leave behind/ Becky Kramer , SR. More here .