It was exactly like the big waves of the ocean came over you, except it was fire. The only way out was straight up the hill in front. It looked like a cliff. Some survived in unique ways. Miguel Holquin, originally listed among the dead, survived by jumping into a stone planter he was building around an oak tree and covering himself with sand.
Several men dove into the swimming pool at what was then the girls' camp, and survived.
Fate, intuition or maybe just luck played a role. Foreman H. N. Claypool was about to order his 20-man crew to cut a fire break, then decided against it. Shortly afterward, a tornado of flame swept over the place they were headed. Then it stopped. The fire department had the blaze under control before nightfall.