Fires are raging in several California counties. The largest are burning in Sonoma, Napa and Mendocino counties, and in total, the 17 wildfires have burned 221,754 acres, destroyed 5,700 structures, and claimed 33 lives. Several University of Portland students are from the affected counties and have friends and family living there.
Residents in some of the affected areas have had to evacuate. Avery Romano, a freshman sociology major, said that she woke up to frantic texts and calls on Monday morning from people telling her to check in with her mom, who lives in Kenwood, part of Sonoma County. She said she called her mom immediately and found out that she had recently evacuated. Her mom was able to return to her home soon though, she said.
However, others weren’t so lucky. Romano said that her high school burned down and that many of the kids with whom she attended elementary school lost their homes to the blaze.
“It’s just crazy to think that these kids all left for college, not realizing that that was literally going to be the last time they’d be in their home,” Romano said.
Sophomore Callie Hogan is from the town of Sonoma. While other parts of the county received evacuation orders and were severely affected by the fire, she said that the part of town her family lives in did not have to evacuate. However, she said that her mom and brother stayed with a relative in San Jose for a night as a precaution.
They returned the next day though to be with her dad, she said, who stayed in Sonoma. Hogan said her dad is a firefighter and a paramedic helping evacuees at shelters, one of which is her old high school. It’s one place that has provided moments of hope in the face of tragedy, Hogan noted. She said the crews at the high school had to stop accepting donations because they were receiving too many.
“It’s a really good, tight-knit community, and there’s a lot of support for those who need it. It’s pretty amazing that so many people stepped up,” Hogan said.
Hogan will go home for fall break, but she expressed doubt as to how much time she would spend in Sonoma due to the poor air quality the smoke has caused. Instead, she said she plans to take day trips to other cities in the Bay Area that are not as affected by the smoke.
Sophomore biology major Angie Bustos echoed Hogan’s concerns about the smoke. She is from the city of Napa, the seat of Napa County. She said the part of town her family lives in has not been as affected as other places in the county. But the air quality index in much of the Bay Area is the same as that of famously polluted Beijing. In some places, it’s even worse. People can keep track of the air quality index by checking AirNow, run by the EPA.
Bustos said that her family has not had to evacuate. But she said that relatives from the affected sections of Napa County and the town of Santa Rosa, one of the hardest hit towns, are staying with her family for the time being.
She also expressed concern about winds in the region and whether they would transport the embers and start new fires.
“(Calistoga) got evacuated as a preventive measure because the winds are so strong that in any moment, the fire could cross over and start burning down houses,” Bustos said.
But one of her biggest concerns is the fact that she’s been in Portland while her community is suffering, which means that her flight home on Saturday was scheduled for just the right time.
“It’s hard not being at home because this is my community. Seeing that, I want to be there to help them too,” Bustos said. “I need to go back over there because that’s where I’m needed.”
