SILVER FIRE RECOVERY: In Devastated Poppet Flats Neighborhood, Pig Survives Blaze and Neighbors Pull Together

In a section of Poppet Flats where the Silver Fire leveled numerous homes, neighbors in the close-knit community have pulled together to care for a pig named Miss Ethel and other animals that survived the blaze.

Ethel's owner is Kym Heighes and her home burned down Wednesday, neighbor Glenda Wristen said.

"She was at the top of Poppet Flats Road while her house was burning and they wouldn't let her come down," neighbor Mona VanSickle said. "She escaped with her kids and her two dogs . . . "

Kym also kept goats, chickens and ducks, and Heighes, VanSickle and other members of the community disaster team are feeding and watering the animals until Kym comes back.

Some were surprised to find Ethel made it through the fire, considering how fast it moved into Poppet Flats and how close it came to her enclosure.

"The fire burned right up to her pen and right around her," Wristen said. "Her pen is damp and muddy, that probably helped."

Ethel is between 5 and 8 years old, Wristen said.

"Kym's had her an awful long time," Wristen said. "Ethel used to run loose but people complained and Kym had to pen her up. Now she's a big old fat hog."

One of the few homes left standing in the neighborhood belonged to the family of Rebecca Wielin, Wristen said. Wielin spoke to Banning-Beaumont Patch as she evacuated on Wednesday.

Several people who live in parts of Poppet Flats that did not burn stayed through the duration of the Silver Fire in spite of evacuation orders that were lifted at 6 p.m. Friday.

Those who stayed have tried to do what they can for neighbors whose homes were destroyed.

"Kym loved her animals," Wristen said. "My heart hurts for her. She lost so much. Just a few months ago she lost several goats to a mountain lion, and now her home."

Everyone who visited with Ethel on Friday afternoon seemed to have soft spot for her, and she appeared to enjoy the attention almost as much as her food.

Lately she's been getting by on a mix of leftovers Wristen collects from neighbors each evening in a bucket.

"Someone gave her dog food kibble the other day and this morning she looked at me like 'Who fed me that?'" Wristen said. "Tonight I'm going to give her spaghettios and waffles. She loves soggy waffles."

More Silver Fire coverage from Banning-Beaumont Patch:

• SILVER FIRE UPDATE: Evacs Lifted in Some Communities, Fire Estimated at 17,500 Acres
  
• TIMELINE OF SILVER FIRE UPDATES: Damage, Other Reports Prior to Friday
• SILVER FIRE BURN VICTIM: Man Was Found on Old Banning-Idyllwild Road
• SILVER FIRE VIDEO: Poppet Flats Resident Returns to Home Burned to Ground
• VIDEO: As Silver Fire Advances Evacuee Says 'We Decided to Leave on Our Own'
  
• SILVER FIRE MAP: Interactive Public Info by Esri of Redlands
• Inside the Silver Fire: Photos From Evacuated Areas in San Jacinto Mtns
• Beaumont Unified School District Employee Loses Everything in Silver Fire
• Silver Fire Evacuation Center, Fire Camp Set Up in Beaumont
• Video, Pics: Silver Fire South of Banning