Janet Harper-Beam could see the flames of the Loma fire in her rearview mirror as she raced down the hill from her family property last Monday, Sept. 26.
Harper-Beam, whose son Jared Beam is a sophomore at Ann Sobrato High School, saw the fire blaze out of control firsthand, days before it ended up scorching more than 4,400 acres of vegetation and a dozen homes. She was at home on Loma Prieta Road when her husband Frank Beam arrived and said there was a fire. The couple turned on the scanner and started making preparations, just in case it got out of control.
Then, suddenly, the fire got out control. The couple—Jared was at school—had to leave before authorities could even get the word out about evacuation warnings.
“We were totally alone,” Harper-Beam said. “It started cresting (over the hill behind the property), blowing fire bombs down toward our house. We had literally minutes to change our plans.”
Harper-Beam ran through the house grabbing photos off the wall and a few other essential items, but in the panic she didn’t have time to retrieve even an iota of the family heirlooms, original inventions created by her father, vehicles, antiques, valuables, collectibles, Jared’s Boy Scout merit badges and karate black belts—“generations (and) lifetimes of things.”
Destroyed in the blaze was not just the home that had an “amazing view” of the valley below, according to Harper-Beam’s step-daughter Danielle Beam. They also lost a host of structures that sit on the 72-acre property that has been in the family for 53 years. A workshop, a generator shed, two storage sheds, a cabin, a barn and a lab were razed by the Loma fire.
Harper-Beam’s wedding rings—she doesn’t wear them every day because she works with her “hands in the dirt”—were lost in the fire. She lost her deceased brother’s ashes and his military decorations from when he served in Vietnam.
“I lost everything from my christening dress to my wedding dress,” Harper-Beam said.
Danielle—who set up a fundraising page for the family on gofundme.com shortly after the fire—noted that her mother saved a newspaper from Jared’s birthday every year since he was born. Those memories went up with the flames.
“I planted a tree for my son every year since he was born, and they’re gone,” Harper-Beam added.
The 55-year-old Morgan Hill resident cried throughout a phone interview with the Times earlier this week as she recounted the tragedy. She said she has been “exhausted, and not sleeping well” since the destruction on her family property. But she praised the support they have received from friends and complete strangers.
She is particularly grateful to the Sobrato High community for their generosity toward Jared, her only son. The school counselor, his teachers and fellow students have helped more than Harper-Beam would have asked.
“The kids were ambushing him with an outpouring of love and support,” Harper-Beam said. “They have been so concerned about my son’s well-being.”
The Red Cross has helped Harper-Beam, her husband and son with accommodations at a hotel since they lost their home. They have also assisted in getting medications that Harper-Beam—a cancer survivor—needs on a regular basis; she didn’t even have time to take her own supply from her home before it burned. Downtown Morgan Hill’s restaurants have provided gift cards.
“You try to plan for these things, and it’s so surreal; it’s hard to make it through if it weren’t for so many nice, caring people,” said Harper-Beam, a former Human Resources director who has been involved in numerous volunteer efforts and organizations—including the Casa Loma volunteer firefighters—over the years.
As of Oct. 5, firefighters had the Loma fire—which started in the area of Loma Prieta and Loma Chiquita roads—more than 90 percent contained. A dozen homes, as well as 16 unspecified “outbuildings” were destroyed by the Loma fire, according to authorities. The fire’s cause remains under investigation.
Miraculously, the Harper-Beam family’s 15-year-old horse, Nakiyah, survived the fire. The animal was roaming the property when the family fled Sept. 26. Frank returned a couple days later to find Nakiyah rolling on what used to be their home’s front lawn.
In the 20 minutes or so the couple had to race down from their home when they saw the flames approaching, they were able to save their indoor cat and 90-pound German Shepherd. Lost are two outdoor cats, chickens and fish.
The fundraising page set up by Danielle, found at gofundme.com/2rgruvx8, has raised $4,300 as of Oct. 5. The page has a goal of $150,000.
Harper-Beam said they haven’t even had a chance to think about the possibility of rebuilding a home on the family property.
“We’re just cleaning up, and trying to get our horse out of there,” Harper-Beam said.
