Silver fire: 'God, I'm gonna die,' survivor kept thinking

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A DC-10 tanker drops retardant ahead of the fire line on the mountains above Snow Creek Village near Cabazon as the 16,000-acre Silver fire in Riverside County continues to burn. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

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An inmate fire crew from Northern California awaits orders in Snow Creek Village near Cabazon before scaling the mountain in the background. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

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Snow Creek Village resident Keith Jackson rakes up the debris after firefighters cleared the combustible vegetation around his home. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

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Inmate fire crews are led to the front lines by a Cal Fire captain above Snow Creek Village near Cabazon. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

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The Silver fire burns east toward wind turbines and a view of Morongo Casino, Resort & Spa in Cabazon. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

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A tree burns amid scorched property along Highway 243 in Riverside County. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

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Property, buildings and machinery lie in ruin along Twin Pines Road in Riverside County. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

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At sunset, California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection firefighter hand crews from Miramonte knock down part of the Silver fire. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

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A California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection firefighter from Miramonte sports a smile after fighting the blaze in an area along Highway 243. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

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The fast-moving Silver fire pushes east toward a view of Morongo Casino, Resort & Spa in Cabazon. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

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The Silver fire that has scorched more than 10,000 acres in Riverside County rages east toward wind turbines and the desert. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

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A firefighter keeps a close eye on swirling embers while battling the Silver fire. The fire had destroyed at least 12 structures Wednesday night. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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Firefighters work into the night to try to control the Silver fire, which has burned more than the 6,000 acres and forced the evacuations of communities near Poppet Flats, south of Banning, on Wednesday. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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Flames from the Silver fire burn close to Highway 243 south of Banning. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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Flames from the Silver fire burn into the evening as crews try to get a handle on the blaze that has forced the evacuation of several communities. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

By Christine Mai-Duc

Aug. 9, 2013 10:55 AM PT

Andrew Schrader and his wife had just raced home to escape the advancing Silver fire when they saw the smoke come up over a nearby ridge.

Before he knew it, his wife was yelling: “The fire’s across the street!”

He looked out the window of his Twin Pines home Wednesday to see a wall of flames racing down his neighbor’s property.

The destructive Silver fire had caught up with them.

“I was already trapped. The fire was all around us...I had to lay down my briefcase, go outside, and start the hose going,” Schrader said.

He watered down everything he could think of -- the roof, his front yard, even the back end of his cars.

He opened the gate to let his terrified horses out, and continued spraying.

Flames suddenly appeared on a hillside on the other side of his driveway. Then his motor home, equipped with a full tank of propane, went up in flames that billowed 40 feet into the air, Schrader said.

“I could feel the heat and I kept thinking ‘God, I’m gonna die.’”

The explosive heat singed fruit trees just feet from his house, melted the top off his dumpster and burned giant holes into his plastic horse feed bins.

His home, though, survived.

“The fire just blew past us. I don’t know how,” Schrader said.

He was among the lucky. As of Friday, the Silver fire had seriously burned one civilian, injured at least five firefighters, and scorched 16,000 acres. One business and 26 homes had also burned.

But not Schrader’s.

When he finally went to bed that night at midnight, he couldn’t sleep. Everywhere around, there were embers -- remnants from the battle he’d just somehow won with what at the time was an out of control wildfire.

“When the wind came up, it was all glowing in the dark.”

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christine.maiduc@latimes.com

Twitter: @cmaiduc