Fanning the flames of love amidst a wildfire
Speicher, a 1994 graduate of Triway High School and the eldest daughter of Jeff and Laura Speicher of Wooster, had been planning a quiet midweek wedding for months, with her three sisters and other family members. However, the massive wildfire, which started May 29, was burning closer and closer to her home in Springerville, Ariz. As the fire spread to nearly half a million acres with winds driving it and containment at a fractional amount, Speicher and Silva had to make some hard decisions. Others were made for them. The wedding locale, a nearby meadow, was now closed to the public because of the fires.
The effects of the fire were visible long before Speicher, a fifth-grade teacher who has lived in Arizona for seven years, and Silva received orders to evacuate. “The fire created a very smoky and hazy atmosphere for several days. There were days we could look to the south and just see billows of smoke,” Speicher said.
The couple went for a drive up into the mountains to see if their selected wedding site, the meadow, was accessible. It was not. Meanwhile, the fire crept closer, and the couple knew their wedding, if it was to be held on the blessed day, would be held elsewhere.
“Eric was working outside one day and there was a piece of ash that fell on his head about the size of a half dollar. We were discussing where we could have the wedding if the meadow was still closed and decided on Show Low or Phoenix. Show Low is still in the mountains and one hour from us. Phoenix is a four-hour drive, but we would have used his parents’ backyard,” she added.
While the couple pondered what to do, another decision was made for them: the order to evacuate.
“We were warned about the possibility of evacuation a few days in advance by law enforcement so we made a list of what needed to be taken. We then gathered all of it up and kept an eye on the news, websites, anything I could find about the fire progression,” Speicher said, and she decided to take action. “A friend and I made a plan to follow each other out of town in case of an evacuation. I saw the evacuation notice online but didn’t leave till an officer knocked at my door and verbally told me about the evacuation orders.”
But Silva wasn’t going anywhere. “Eric signed a refusal and had to then stay on my property. If he left at all, he would have been escorted out of town. I then met with my friend and I followed her to Show Low.”
The couple not only had Speicher’s home to think about, but Silva also owned a couple of other properties. By June 12, the evacuation order was lifted and the couple, and family who was already there for the wedding, returned back to Springerville. Laura and Jeff Speicher arrived, and while there was no immediate, in-town fire damage, the effects of the fire could be felt and smelled, as Laura Speicher explained.
“When we arrived, the air quality was a little smoky smelling. Driving into town, you could smell some smoke. The town didn’t look smoky, but you could definitely smell it.” Laura Speicher added, “You didn’t see any charred land... we had to drive a few miles south of Eager to see the damage.”
Laura Speicher said prior to arriving in Arizona, the family wasn’t too concerned when the fire started, but when it started engulfing areas they were familiar with, “it hit home to me… this fire is getting closer.”
Now the couple had to figure out where, when, and if the wedding would proceed, as well as think about the future of Speicher’s house, and what would the other Ohio family members do and how would they get there.
“My family was wondering if they needed to change flights into a different airport or if they would need to make hotel reservations,” Speicher said. “They were still coming out no matter where they had to stay. Some said they felt helpless and wanted to be out here to help. I told them I was helpless even though I was in Arizona and near the fire and wedding location.”
Speicher’s sisters Mary, Tiffany and Mindi, and their families came from Ohio for the wedding, which raised spirits for the couple. Laura Speicher commented that she hoped one day the couple could tell their story to their own children, about the trials and tribulations of getting married.
“We were lucky in the respect that the only thing that changed was the wedding location. We moved it into a restaurant owned by Eric’s best friend Buster. He closed one room off and allowed us to use it for the ceremony.” This made things a bit easier.
The couple’s family and friends helped make the day special, as Speicher explained. “We went as a group into the restaurant the night before and made plans, moved tables and chairs, and worked out logistics of getting me there without him seeing me.”
The area, Laura Speicher reported, was swarming with media crews. The couple was interviewed on an ABC-TV affiliate regarding the changes to their wedding day plans.
They even found a meadow to use for part of the wedding. “We could have used another meadow that we had chosen as back up but were afraid of the effect the smoke would have on his grandparents who are in their 90s and the children, as well as those with allergies or health issues. We did go take pictures with our families and wedding party at the meadow we had chosen. The day was beautiful and a great time was had by all.”
Recently allowed back in their Springerville home, Eric and Traci Silva will travel to Wooster later this year, and no doubt will spend a lot of time with family members, recounting the trials and tribulations of the Wallow Creek fire and how it burned a mark on their wedding day.
Published: June 21, 2011
