[Guy] Lewis found himself surprised by his first reaction: He grabbed his Nikon digital camera, remembering his Gila Community College photography teacher’s instructions. “I don’t really know what I was thinking, except that I had to document this."…

Finally, he realized he had to stop taking photographs and get out.

“So I took my medical records, dog food, camera, laptop, clothes, a box of old photos of my children,” including his son with the head injury sustained in Baghdad and his 32-year-old art teacher daughter.”

He also took his Bible and, of course, his two dogs — Karma and Smokey, an interesting combination for canine fire survivors.

Later, he realized that he left all of his books and papers and schoolwork. He also left all his materials for the “diet craze” for which he’d signed up.

“Left all that stuff behind — don’t know if that’s forethought or afterthought,” he mused.