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When you live in the picturesque foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, you need a dependable, rugged vehicle. When your scenic town burns to the ground and your job is to save lives, you need a truck that won’t fail. Ever.
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Allyn Pierce was an ICU manager at Adventist Health Feather River Hospital in what was once Paradise, CA.
Most of Paradise, a haven for retirees and others who love the forests and valleys north of Sacramento, was destroyed November 8, 2018, by one of California’s deadliest wildfires. The fire was named the Camp Fire, and it ended more than 80 lives and destroyed millions of dollars worth of homes and other structures across thousands and thousands of acres.
Pierce was at his place of employment that day when it became clear they were in danger’s path. After preparing patients for evacuation, he and a couple of his colleagues piled into his Toyota Tundra for their own escape from the drawing flames. They immediately hit gridlock.
New York Times reporter, Jack Nicas tweeted about Pierce’s journey through hell.
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As cars passed Pierce on the right, they became stuck on the shoulder and caught on fire.
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Nicas recounts Pierce’s futile attempt to shield himself from the intense heat. Pierce was convinced these fiery moments were his last.
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When the road finally cleared, Pierce made a split decision to go back to work.
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When Pierce arrived at the hospital, he realized many injured were there to get help. He and fellow nurses and doctors broke into the facility and retrieved all the equipment they could to treat people in the parking lot as the area around them burned.
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Pierce told the New York Times. “Now all of us are like, ‘Oh, this is what we do.’ We’re terrible at burning to death, but we’re amazing at taking care of people.”
Then, the hospital itself went up in flames next to them. Finally, a path out cleared enough to take everyone to safety.
The extent of the fire’s destruction revealed itself in the coming days. Pierce lost everything in the blaze – he didn’t even have a job anymore because the hospital was destroyed.
The only thing he had left in the world, besides his family, was his lifesaver, the Tundra.
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Toyota responded.
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Many heroes emerged that day, as Pierce was quick to point out. He called it a group effort. But it is the courageous actions of people like him and his co-workers that bring out the hope in the midst, and in the aftermath, of death and destruction. The hearts of Americans are with Paradise as they bravely rebuild their heaven on earth.
