Warden

Department of Fish and Wildlife

9/12/2015

Special Act Award (Gold)

On September 12, 2015, at approximately 3:00 p.m., California Department of Fish and Wildlife Warden Ryan Stephenson was patrolling Lake County when the Valley Fire ignited. The fire had just consumed the small town of Cobb and was now racing to consume the towns of Middletown and Hidden Valley Lake. Warden Stephenson raced ahead of the inferno to warn people about the fire and help them evacuate so they wouldn’t be trapped by the flames. Working door to door, he had evacuated several homes and escorted eight people to safety when one of the residents realized their neighbor had been overlooked. The neighbor, an 88 year old wheelchair bound woman, was still in her home, lying on the couch, unaware of the approaching fire. Warden Stephenson quickly returned to her street, which was now engulfed in flames, identified the woman’s house, entered, and found her asleep on her couch. She was unable to get out on her own, so Warden Stephenson carried her in his arms to his patrol truck. As he was getting ready to leave, the woman told him she was worried about her dog. Warden Stephenson then went back into her home and returned to the truck with her dog, driving them all to safety just minutes before her home became engulfed in flames. The fire ultimately devoured the woman’s home and reduced it to a pile of hot ash only 12 inches high.