And after arriving at the hotel, they were relieved when discovering how much more assistance the Red Cross would provide. Rose was delighted to learn that Red Cross would be feeding them while they were displaced. “At that point you don't think about all your options and how things may turn out,” she said. Knowing the cats could take care of themselves outdoors, Rose set them loose after getting the horses and dogs to safety. The family had horses, three cats and two dogs to worry about as well. “I was worried about the grandchildren seeing the flames as we rushed to get out,” she said. The Red Cross team directed them to a Billings hotel where they were putting up evacuated families, so Rose began getting groceries and packing up important belongings. Tabitha met with the Red Cross to gather information and figure out a safe place where the whole family could stay. ![]() Her son Johnny heard from a co-worker that Red Cross volunteers were on the scene in Roundup providing help. That just takes its toll on your body,” Rose said.Ī cross-country trucker, Rose’s husband, Stuart, wasn’t in Montana when the fire began, so she took charge. “He is 78 years old and worked construction all that time. Just one month before the fire, the eldest Worley, John D., joined the others in Montana to spend his retirement around family who could assist him with his health issues. Both in their 30s, the young couple is raising 15-year-old Trent, 11-year-old Cheyane and 9-year-old Aiden. Besides Rose and her husband Stuart, their son John W. Seeking a change of scenery, multiple generations of Worleys moved to the Roundup area just two years earlier. That was far enough away to not get all panicky, so we just kept watching.” “Our neighbors who live five miles away lost their home. “I'm kind of scared of fires anyway, and I knew it was possible (in Montana),” the 58-year-old said. Rose Worley remembers seeing smoke plumes grow as she stood on her family’s land. In early September, the 30,000-acre BobCat fire burning southeast of Roundup forced the Worleys and several of their neighbors from their homes. ![]() ![]() They just didn’t know how real that concern would become. When the Worley family moved from Kentucky to rural Montana, they knew wildfires would be a concern.
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