SCOTTSDALE — The "Diamond Fire" continues to burn and now that evacuations have lifted, people are seeing their homes for the first time since Tuesday evening.
Karen Nabity recalls the moment she saw flames inching closer to her daughter’s home.
“It was black smoke that just went forever, and it was so high. There was just a wall of fire and smoke right on the property line of our home,” she said.
At this point, Nabity had already evacuated from her home and was helping her daughter and grandchildren get out of theirs.
“As we’re doing that, the fireman comes up and says you guys need to go now. Go! Go!” said Nabity.
So, they grabbed their belongings and left.
“You’re driving away, and you don’t know if that home’s going to be there for the kids to come back to,” she said in tears.
Nabity’s son-in-law stayed behind, hosing down what he could.
“When they built their home, they actually made sure they had a fire hose and the connection for it. And he actually keeps a water tank on the property in case something like this ever happened,” Nabity told ABC15.
It wasn’t long before aircraft came by to tackle the flames from above.
“We got an airdrop of pink slurry in the front and in the back,” she added.
Nabity says it’s heartbreaking to see what’s left in the area behind her daughter’s home.
“That desert is just completely charred. It’s just white with just ash.”
Though she is thankful everyone is safe, and their homes didn't burn down.
“It was stressful. It was scary. But we’re so thankful for the firemen and the phenomenal neighbors that helped out in every way they could,” said Nabity.
The Department of Forestry and Fire Management tells ABC15 the cause of the fire and who is to blame is still under investigation.
