In an area known as Santa Rosa, California, the Santa Rosa Tubbs Fire similarly devastated acres of residential areas. Civilians lost everything to the flames and could only evacuate or stand by helplessly as the fires ripped their homes, possessions and lives away from them.
In Santa Rosa, California, one homeowner and his gun safe became the exception.
Terry Andreasen, a local locksmith in the area, provided assistance to residents, opening charred and heat-warped gun safes after a wildfire that destroyed so many homes in Santa Rosa, on October 8, 2017. Andreasen opened over 40 safes during the wildfire season, but only one safe got his attention.
It was a Champion Safe from the 2005 Crown Series, and when Andreasen opened it, he found that a few items had been charred, but almost all of the safe’s contents were in-tact and largely unharmed.
The wildfire that spread through Santa Rosa, California burned 36,000 acres and approximately 5,300 structures at an estimated temperature of 2,250-2,500 degrees Fahrenheit.
For two days, the home and the safe were unreachable by fire crews. For two days, the Champion safe sat in the scorching heat, and though the heat seals began to warp, the overall structure of the safe withstood the odds.
That, at the very least, allowed the homeowner to find some semblance of relief among the ashes.
For years, California has experienced a widespread problem with wildfires. In 2017, the wildfires crossed into suburban areas, causing more devastation than in previous years. Reports of the Napa Valley, Santa Rosa and other areas throughout California being set ablaze rocked the nation. These fires have only emphasized the issues the West Coast is facing concerning wildfires. Fire insurance and other security measures were often neglected up to this point, widely being seen as a homeowner novelties. West Coast residents who regarded wildfires as an unlikely tragedy were rendered helpless as scorching flames devoured whole neighborhoods in a matter of minutes.
Those who choose to protect their assets with a Champion safe know their fireproof gun safes are built to be the best safes for the worst conditions. Every safe is constructed with the hope that it will never be tested, but also with the durability and quality to withstand nearly any tragedy.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to those affected by the wildfires and by other disasters around the nation. It is because of those disasters that we will continue to build exceptional safes from high-quality materials to provide homeowners with peace of mind when they need it the most.
