CLEMENTS, Calif. — Kelly Cooker was in her bedroom near the community of Clements Saturday afternoon as flames broke out in an orchard next door.
"I just was listening and I heard the crackling for a while and I was like 'I know that sound,'" said Cooker. "It was just flames... like all along our house right there."
Cooker and neighbors ran out with hoses before firefighters from multiple agencies swarmed the rural neighborhood. The community helped firefighters contain the Collier Fire to a single acre, but they know it could have been worse.
On Friday, less than two miles away from Cooker's home, three homes were destroyed when the Liberty Fire raced 100 acres down Mackville Road near Liberty Road.
"We could see the flames even from here, it was that big," said Cooker. "I've never been through a fire like that so it was really scary."
Further away, but still within San Joaquin County in June, 14,168 acres went up in flames near Tracy destroying one home. The blaze, dubbed the "Corral Fire," was the state's sixth-largest fire of the year as of July 21.
While many people associate destructive fires with forests and tall trees, emergency officials say dry vegetation like the yellow grass painting the land in between San Joaquin County's more dense cities can be equally as threatening.
"We know that it's important for our community members to make sure they are creating that defensible space," said Kia Xiong, Public Information Officer for the San Joaquin County Office of Emergency Services. "That really just means to clear the perimeter of their houses of any fallen branches, any dead or decaying debris."
Creating defensible space is exactly what Cooker and her family do and is possibly a reason her home is still standing. Xiong says people should do more such as developing evacuation plans with alternate routes.
"We also encourage community members to mark meetup points if they become separated from their household or their family," said Xiong. "Lastly, we encourage community members to build that emergency supply kit and consider their unique family needs."
When faced with a wall of wind-driven flames, Cooker naturally stepped in to save her home.
"I panicked, personally," said Cooker. "I was like 'Ah what do I do?'"
But now she does know and emergency officials are hoping the rest of the county learns as well, before it's too late.
"Sign up for SJ Ready alerts at sjready.org," said Xiong. "Now is the time to start thinking about what you will need to survive an emergency or disaster."
Watch more from ABC10: 'We have lost a lot': Liberty Fire destroys 3 San Joaquin County homes