When the Worley family moved from Kentucky to rural Montana, they knew wildfires would be a concern. They just didn’t know how real that concern would become.

In early September, the 30,000-acre BobCat fire burning southeast of Roundup forced the Worleys and several of their neighbors from their homes. Rose Worley remembers seeing smoke plumes grow as she stood on her family’s land.

“I'm kind of scared of fires anyway, and I knew it was possible (in Montana),” the 58-year-old said. “Our neighbors who live five miles away lost their home. That was far enough away to not get all panicky, so we just kept watching.”

Seeking a change of scenery, multiple generations of Worleys moved to the Roundup area just two years earlier. Besides Rose and her husband Stuart, their son John W. and his wife Tabitha also joined them. Both in their 30s, the young couple is raising 15-year-old Trent, 11-year-old Cheyane and 9-year-old Aiden.

Just one month before the fire, the eldest Worley, John D., joined the others in Montana to spend his retirement around family who could assist him with his health issues.

“He is 78 years old and worked construction all that time. That just takes its toll on your body,” Rose said.

A cross-country trucker, Rose’s husband, Stuart, wasn’t in Montana when the fire began, so she took charge. Her son Johnny heard from a co-worker that Red Cross volunteers were on the scene in Roundup providing help.

Tabitha met with the Red Cross to gather information and figure out a safe place where the whole family could stay. The Red Cross team directed them to a Billings hotel where they were putting up evacuated families, so Rose began getting groceries and packing up important belongings.

“I was worried about the grandchildren seeing the flames as we rushed to get out,” she said.

The family had horses, three cats and two dogs to worry about as well. Knowing the cats could take care of themselves outdoors, Rose set them loose after getting the horses and dogs to safety. 

“At that point you don't think about all your options and how things may turn out,” she said.

Rose was delighted to learn that Red Cross would be feeding them while they were displaced. And after arriving at the hotel, they were relieved when discovering how much more assistance the Red Cross would provide.

In their rush to evacuate, they didn’t grab the medicine they needed, but the Red Crossers arranged to have the correct prescriptions on hand.

Because John D. has a heart condition and typically uses an electric, rechargeable scooter that is quite bulky, the Worleys chose instead to pack his much smaller portable walker before heading out for Billings.

At the hotel, Rose, John D., Johnny, Tabitha and their three children spent three days in their two hotel rooms. They were itching to be outside, so they jumped at the chance to visit the Yellowstone River Trail in Billings. But Rose knew John couldn't go on the outing with just his walker.

So Rose called the Red Cross, telling them they were willing to purchase a wheelchair at Walmart but wanted to check with them first to see if they had medical equipment to loan.

That simple phone call to the Red Cross solved that problem.

“I told them, ‘Don’t go buy one. Let me see what we have in storage,’” said Abbra Firman, former Red Cross Disaster Program Manager for Eastern Montana.

“But we didn’t have a wheelchair in our main storage area, so our volunteers went shopping for a brand-new folding wheelchair that a local store had on hand.”

Volunteers Sherrilyn Hamilton and Rita Tucker delivered the wheelchair to the hotel where they assembled it.

“They called Rose telling her they had a surprise, and they needed to come down to the lobby,” Firman said.

Rose said it was an emotional moment.

“Daddy had tears in his eyes when he saw the wheelchair,” Rose said. “In Kentucky, you don’t get this kind of help — and Daddy — he is humble.

“It was awesome to be outside. There is a walking trail, and Trent was able to push him all the way.”

Red Cross also provided comfort to the young grandchildren. While the two children shared a hotel bed, they were able to cuddle up with a blanket they brought from home — one they received when completing a Red Cross program that taught children about being prepared for natural disasters.

Eventually, the family was able to return home.

“I’ll be a lot more prepared next season,” Rose said. “I wish I had had a better plan for the cats. It was terrible not knowing where they were, but when I found my kitty …  I held my kitty and just cried. I hadn't cried the whole time but holding the kitty did it.”