Fredonia couple opens home to fire evacuees
Fredonia couple houses White Sage Fire evacuees
The White Sage Fire forced hundreds to evacuate their homes, but amidst the devastation, stories of resilience and fellowship are emerging. FOX 10's Nicole Krasean shares how one Fredonia couple helped dozens of evacuees.
COCONINO COUNTY, Ariz. - Amid the devastation of the White Sage Fire, which forced hundreds from their homes, stories of resilience and fellowship are emerging, including that of a Fredonia couple who aided dozens of evacuees.
The backstory:
Jacob and Michelle Cluff, residents of the Fredonia area for more than two decades, have built lasting friendships with staff at the nearby Jacob Lake Inn. So when those friends needed help after evacuating the fire zone, the Cluffs didn't hesitate.
"If there's a need, we're just so happy to help," Michelle said.
Their personal connection to the Jacob Lake Inn staff made it easy for them to say yes to hosting White Sage Fire evacuees.
Jacob recounted the conversation: "Hyram talked to his boss and said 'The Cluffs said they could take care of all of us,' and the boss said 'Do you know how many there are?' And so he had to call me and tell me how many there were, and I said 'Yeah, we can take care of you.'"
More than 40 evacuees ended up at the Cluffs' home on Thursday night.
"We had people sleeping on couches and things, but we got everybody somewhere to sleep," Jacob said.
Michelle expressed her enjoyment of the impromptu gathering.
"We loved having them here. I was actually sad when they left," she said. "One night we stayed up late and played card games with them and it just kind of felt like it was a family reunion."
The Cluffs hosted smaller groups on Friday and Saturday nights and noted that many other locals also offered assistance to evacuees.
Big picture view:
While the Jacob Lake Inn remains untouched by the White Sage Fire, the closure of the Grand Canyon's North Rim for the rest of the season means fewer visitors to Northern Arizona.
"It's terrifying because we don't know what that means for us personally, but really for the North Rim economy, because there's so many people in our area that rely on the North Rim and the draw of tourists to that location," Melinda Rich Marshall of the Jacob Lake Inn said.
The Cluffs hope people will still visit the area to see the strength and beauty of the communities north of the Grand Canyon.
"Come support these good people. They hire 60-70 college students every year and help them make their way through college. They make a huge difference in the world, and so we just want to see them be able to continue their legacy and financially survive this," Jacob said.
The North Rim is closed for the remainder of the 2025 season, but the South Rim remains open for visitors.