The pair of lion statues that once sat perched at the entrance to the Alcover family home now sit guarding only a pile of rubble. They are among the few recognizable pieces left of the home, once nestled in a quiet residential community near Paradise, California.

Like thousands of others, the Alcover home was chewed up and spit out last week by the Camp Fire, the deadliest wildfire in California’s history.

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Gavin Alcover, 11, the young voice that once called for the purchase of those two statues, and sisters Phoenix, 9, and Kylie, 15, sit now two states and hundreds of miles away from home in Suquamish with family friends, waiting for the air to clear a bit and while their parents attempt to piece back together enough of a normal life for them to return home.

After the blaze consumed their home a week ago, their mother, Crystal, put out a call to friends looking for a place for her family of five to stay. Amber and Doug Shaw, friends from years ago when they lived in the Paradise area, didn’t hesitate to offer their home in Suquamish.

To read the full article, written by Nathan Pilling click here: Refugees from California's Camp Fire find shelter in Kitsap