A trailer fire in Copperopolis on Oct. 9 displaced 2026 Mother Lode Roundup Queen KaeLee Gates and newly-crowned 2027 Miss Grand National Rodeo Queen Taryl Townsend, while they were in the Bay Area for a competition.<\/p>\n
The fire destroyed the trailer Gates lived in and all her belongings, including her rodeo queen closet and its contents, and it damaged the trailer Townsend lived in, rendering it uninhabitable. Gates and Townsend are now staying with close friends in Sonora.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Gates\u2019 horses, Lux and Dixie, and Townsend\u2019s horse, Trip, were not injured.<\/p>\n
The two rodeo queen contestants described the rollercoaster of emotions they experienced that weekend, as they learned the extent of the damage to their homes at the time that Townsend competed for and won the 2027 Miss Grand National Rodeo Queen title.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think the part for me that\u2019s the most emotional to think about is if we had been home, or if we had left our dogs at home, if my cats had been inside, and if her horse had been there, within the vicinity that burned,\u201d Gates told The Union Democrat.<\/p>\n
\u201cEither of us could\u2019ve lost our lives. My cats could\u2019ve lost their lives. Either of our dogs could\u2019ve lost their lives. Her horse could\u2019ve lost its life. Everything else that was lost is material. And I know that God has me in his hands and he protected us and he protected all of our animals there.\u201d<\/p>\n
The fire was reported at 8:27 p.m. Oct. 9 at Bridlewood Equestrian Center on Steeplechase Drive, while Gates and Townsend were at the Cow Palace in Daly City so that Townsend could compete to become the 2027 Miss Grand National Rodeo Queen.<\/p>\n
Four fire engines, one ambulance and one water truck responded to the blaze, Copperopolis Fire Protection District Chief Scott Hertzog said in a phone interview last week. The first engine arrived at 8:36 p.m. and found a roughly 40-foot travel trailer fully involved in flames with fire extending into the wildland.<\/p>\n
The first engine crews on scene started attacking the fire and trying to protect the other trailer and other nearby structures. They knocked down the trailer fire and the vegetation fire within minutes. Forward progress of the vegetation fire was stopped at 8:57 p.m.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne trailer was fully destroyed, an additional trailer was damaged, and one vehicle, a sedan, sustained some damage,\u201d Hertzog said. \u201cNo injuries were reported. No one was present at the time of the fire as far as occupants. The cause of the fire is still undetermined at this time, pending investigation.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gates and Townsend have been friends since February, when they first met during early stages of the 2026 Mother Lode Roundup Queen Contest. Gates, who grew up in San Andreas, was crowned 2026 Mother Lode Roundup queen on May 7 at Black Oak Casino Resort. Townsend grew up in San Diego County and was a resident of Sonora when she finished first runner-up to Gates in May.<\/p>\n
Townsend moved to the equestrian center recently. She and Gates left Copperopolis about 9 a.m. Oct. 9 and were both at the Grand National Rodeo at the Cow Palace when the fire occurred that night.<\/p>\n
Gates said she started getting calls about the fire in Copperopolis from friends at 8:37 p.m. Oct. 9, but she didn\u2019t speak to anyone until about 9:30 p.m. Gates shared photos that other people took of her trailer while it was on fire and the charred remains of her trailer and Townsend\u2019s damaged trailer the following day.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can see what\u2019s left of my trailer in the foreground and her damaged trailer on the left,\u201d Gates said. \u201cThe fire melted or broke like five of her windows, I believe. She didn\u2019t have anything inside that actually burned. But the windows broke and all the smoke got in there and her door got ruined, too, because they opened it up to make sure nothing was on fire inside.\u201d<\/p>\n
In spite of the devastating news about the fire, Gates and Townsend remained at the Cow Palace because Townsend was scheduled to compete Oct. 10. The night before, Gates knew her place and her belongings had been destroyed, but she did not yet know how badly Townsend\u2019s trailer was damaged.<\/p>\n
They were up at 4 a.m. Oct. 10 at the Cow Palace to get Townsend\u2019s horse ready to compete at 8 a.m.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe competed in the 2027 Miss Grand National Rodeo Queen contest on Saturday morning but we didn\u2019t find out about the damage to her trailer until about 3 o\u2019clock in the afternoon,\u201d Gates said. \u201cRight before she delivered her speech around noon I got a call and was told that her trailer was also unlivable. So it was right after she finished competing and right before she was crowned that she found out that her trailer was also damaged.\u201d<\/p>\n
Townsend\u2019s horse Trip\u2019s pen was right behind Gates\u2019 and Townsend\u2019s trailers, and it burned in the fire, so it was fortunate Trip was at the Cow Palace for the contest, Gates said.<\/p>\n
Townsend was crowned 2027 Miss Grand National Rodeo Queen about 8 to 8:30 p.m. Oct. 10. Gates\u2019 mother drove her home and her father stayed to drive Townsend home later.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo say this weekend was one to remember is an understatement,\u201d Townsend posted to social media on Oct. 14. \u201cI experienced every emotion possible, made new friends and memories, felt so much love from family and friends, and had the privilege of experiencing the Grand National Rodeo at the historic Cow Palace.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut in the middle of all the excitement and accomplishments, life also threw us some unexpected challenges. As many of you have heard, my dear friend KaeLee lost her home in a fire, and unfortunately, mine caught fire as well. Both of our homes are currently unlivable, but thankfully, we and our animals are safe. Through something so difficult, we have been reminded just how incredible the people around us are.\u201d<\/p>\n
A GoFundMe account has been set up to help raise funds for Gates, and both Townsend and Gates are accepting donations on their Venmo accounts. Townsend\u2019s Venmo is @Trayl-Townsend and Gates\u2019 Venmo is @kaeleegates.<\/p>\n