When the Blue Ridge Fire ignited just after 1:30 p.m. on Friday, August 15, it spread quickly through the hills north of Bayfield and forced urgent evacuations in the Forest Lakes subdivision. Within an hour, families were streaming out of the neighborhood, some with trailers or pets in tow, many with only minutes to decide what to take.
At the center of the community’s response was Bayfield High School, which had been designated by La Plata County as the evacuation checkpoint. By mid-afternoon, the building was not only serving as a registration site, but also as a full evacuation shelter, a place where dozens of people could wait out the fire in safety.
Principal Jason Wayman was the first district administrator to arrive after being called to open the high school.
“When the fire broke out and families were being displaced, I was contacted to open the high school as a temporary shelter,” Wayman recalled. “My first responsibility was making sure the building was accessible, so I got there quickly and connected with a few volunteers who had already arrived to set up a basic check-in table for people being directed our way.”
As evacuees began arriving, district staff and volunteers responded instinctively, and Safety Director Jeff Whitmore soon joined Wayman on site.
“Jason opened it up for everybody, and he was there when I got there,” Whitmore said. “Some of them were parking their campers in the back parking lot.”
Wayman described his role in those first hours as “coordinating the little things.” He and his team opened bathrooms, posted Wi-Fi information, and stocked the cafeteria and new commons with bottled water and food. When La Plata County Search and Rescue and Human Services arrived, he worked with them to set up the official check-in station, where families received orange cards verifying their registration.
Meanwhile, staff members found ways to meet personal needs as they arose.
“One of my team members noticed that the parking lot was filling up with campers, so we decided to open the stadium as an overflow area,” Wayman said. “We pulled out some games to keep children occupied, found a water dish for a pet, and even tracked down a rolling chair so someone who had hurt their back while evacuating could sit comfortably while waiting in line.”
Maintenance Director Rick Corcorran, who lives on Hilltop Drive in Forest Lakes—the very neighborhood under evacuation—said he headed toward home at first, but turned around when he was called to help at the school.
“It was hectic for me because I live on Hilltop,” he said. “I started home to see where the fire was, but I got halfway and they called me because they wanted to open the school up for evacuees. Once they get in, it is theirs, and I just made sure they had bathrooms open and the gym was open and they had everything they needed.”
He also reminded his colleagues about the electrical hookups behind the school, which were available as lifelines for evacuees with campers.
Inside the building, the district’s nutrition staff was already at work. Nutrition Director Julie Whitmore, who was herself on pre-evacuation notice at home, said her team — Chantel Wymore, Stacy Beck, and Stacy Shablo — jumped into action immediately.
“The fire started around 1:30 and they were evacuating around 2:30,” she said. “We live in Forest Lakes, and we were on pre-evac, so we were trying to get stuff together at the same time as Jeff was on the phone for this.”
By the time families had settled into the commons, hot food and water were already waiting for them.
“Chantel, Stacy, and Stacy set it up. We always keep emergency food on hand and extra water. We always have extra pizza in case one of our schools has an emergency,” Julie Whitmore said. “We also had some donations of water and bananas, and that was nice. It was cool to see it all just come together.”
Her team ultimately fed about 40 people that evening, earning praise from outside agencies.
“They were amazed that so many district people responded and that they had food already,” said Jeff Whitmore. “They thought we were rock stars, and they’ve all been involved in bunches of these situations. They couldn’t believe how quickly it was put together and ready for them.”
For some district personnel, stepping up that day meant putting community needs ahead of their own, and Assistant Superintendent Bill Hesford emphasized that point. Corcorran and both Whitmores live in Forest Lakes, meaning their own homes were under pre-evacuation or evacuation orders while they worked at the high school.
“It shows the dedication of our staff,” Hesford said. “We had multiple directors and a principal respond very quickly. Three of our directors who responded did so in spite of having to deal with their own personal situations, and it was great that Jason was close by and responded quickly to get people in the building.”
By 6:30 p.m., firefighting crews had nearly encircled the 25-acre blaze, and evacuation orders were lifted later that evening.
“Once we found out the wind was forcing it away from Forest Lakes, it was just a sigh of relief. At about 7:50 it was all over,” Julie Whitmore recalled.
Still, for several tense hours, Bayfield High School was the anchor point for families with nowhere else to go.
“We were able to initiate our protocols to help the county and Red Cross set up an evacuation checkpoint. We’re glad to be able to provide that safe space for members of our community during fires or other emergencies.”
Reflecting afterward, Wayman said the district’s role was simple but important.
“Honestly, La Plata County’s emergency response teams were incredibly efficient—they had systems in place and didn’t need much from us beyond space and support,” he said. “Our role was to bridge the small gaps and respond to the human side of the situation, making sure people felt cared for in the middle of a very difficult day.”
And for those who spent those hours at Bayfield High School — comforted by a meal, reassured by a safe place to sit, or watching their kids play games while the smoke hung in the air — that care made all the difference.
