This article draws from and builds on the experience of schools in San Diego County following the forest fires that wrought havoc on the area last October. Three teachers (Dana Riggs, Marcelina Madueno and Miriam Atlas) provide a moving account of the personal experiences of their students, who lived through the fires. Their recollections highlight not only the fears and sorrows of students but also their willingness to help neighbors and their eloquence at describing their responses to the emergency once they returned to the safety and supportive environments of their school communities. (Contains 1 note.)