Over the weekend, the Nakia Creek fire spread more than 1,000 acres due to the intense winds Clark County faced, making the fire much too close for comfort for many families in Camas and forcing some families to evacuate their homes for an indefinite period of time. 

 Amongst all the chaos and panic many local families are already experiencing, Camas School District (CSD) announced on Sunday evening that Camas High School (CHS) planned to have a normal school week unless the fire picks up its rapid movement again.

This decision, although made in cooperation with the Clark-Cowlitz Fire Rescue (CCFR) team, was met with major backlash from students around CHS.

“My family is staying at a hotel in Portland because of the evacuations, but I had to stay at my friend’s house. I really don’t think we should be here today,” said sophomore Lizzy Rafferty.

“It’s been crazy. I’ve had a few friends consider just not going to school because of how unsafe it is. Personally, I have seen the fire from my house. I feel like if it’s that close, to some students especially, we shouldn’t have school because it might be unfair to the kids who aren’t able to come because of evacuation,” said senior Garrett Monroe.

As of Sunday afternoon, more than 28,700 homes were placed on a “Level One Be Ready” notice to ensure that if needed, people can evacuate in haste in case the fire’s spread speeds up again. 5,017 homes were under a “Level Two Be Set” notice, indicating that the families in these zones should be extremely cautious and should keep a careful eye on the fire and evacuate as soon as it is convenient for them to do so safely, and 2903 homes were placed under a “Level Three Go Now” alert, meaning that families in these zones are in immediate danger and need to evacuate immediately.

Throughout the school day on Monday, the evacuation zones changed three times, with the CHS campus being under a level two notice in the morning and a level zero by the end of the day.

With such sudden changes in what precautions families are advised to take, many students are outraged by the fact that CSD did not close CHS for precautionary reasons.

“We only had like 45 minutes to pack up all our things [during evacuation],” said sophomore Lilly Langer, who was in the level one zone for a few hours before the zones changed and her house suddenly was placed in the red zone and was forced to evacuate with less than an hour of notice.

“It was really confusing,” said senior Zaid Dickens. “I went to bed with a level three alert and woke up with a level one warning. They keep changing the zones and it’s probably really messing with people.”

“Honestly, I live far enough away from the fire that I’m not even in a zone, but I really feel bad for the people that essentially evacuated for nothing,” said senior Aiden Stewart.

“There are some people that are evacuated that have to drive for an hour or so just to get to school so they don’t get slammed with makeup work. I guess I just don’t see how that’s fair,” said sophomore Jeremy Aguillar.

The CHS administration addressed student and community concerns and voiced that the decision to not close CHS down temporarily was not made blindly.

“The fire department deemed that the school is safe; we’re in a safe area, so we stay on top of it. We’re in constant communication and if that changes we get the information out,” said CHS Principal Kelly O’Rourke.

“We’re not even in a green area now, so it’s perfect. It was kind of scary [for a while], though,” said O’Rourke.

As the smoke continues to burn eyes and obscure the unseasonably clear skies, many wonder when the fire will be properly contained and extinguished. The suspense is bringing a great deal of stress to the people of Clark County, with many worried about the safety of their property and their friends and family.

It is unclear when the fire will be 100% contained and extinguished, but it likely will continue to burn for the rest of the week at an anticipated slower rate. With the chance of a rainy weekend, the CCFR is looking to fight the fire as the weather improves.

Until then, fire officials told evacuees to remain distanced from the hazardous zones, and those who are in levels two or one are to keep their eyes on the news and prepare for evacuation at any moment.