Reporter discusses wildfire at home while working game

Covering a high-profile event like the WNBA All-Star Weekend is difficult enough. But ESPN’s Holly Rowe had even more on her mind while working the event.

Last weekend, a wildfire impacted several neighborhoods in the Salt Lake City, Utah , area, ultimately growing to impact over 200 acres of land . More than 100 firefighters were on the scene to battle the flames, and helicopters and planes helped by pouring buckets of water over the impacted areas.

Rowe, who is in Phoenix for the weekend festivities but lives in Salt Lake City, took to social media on Saturday to ask for prayers. She was informed of the situation while working the event .

Luckily, Rowe’s home was not affected by the wildfire, which she shared with concerned fans on social media Monday afternoon.

On Thursday’s edition of the Call Your Mom podcast she hosts alongside her son McKylin Rowe, she discussed her tense weekend as she awaited news about her home.

“Something crazy happened during the game,” said Holly Rowe. “I get a text from my niece-in-law, and she says, ‘Hey, is your house okay? I just noticed people are evacuating people in your neighborhood.’ I’m out of town working. It was one of the most helpless feelings I’ve ever had in my life. There’s nothing I can do. Our neighborhood got evacuated. I’m sitting there, trying to stay focused on my job.

“She asked if she could run up and get anything for me. I said the only thing I care about is I have a big box of McKylin’s childhood photos. That’s literally the only thing I care about. She came up here, and they wouldn’t even let her up the street. It was closed off. I was just sitting there thinking the only thing that would have devastated me was losing your baby pictures.”

Rowe did offer a further update, saying that the wildfire is still ongoing near the mountain range in the area. Luckily, the area was cleared for them to return to their homes, with firefighters staged in their neighborhood to contain the fire further.

Rowe and her family aren’t out of the woods yet. But luckily, Rowe didn’t lose any of her valuable possession. And commendably, she could serve the entirety of her coverage of the WNBA All-Star Weekend.

[ Call Your Mom podcast ]

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