Vietnamese girl's night running from wildfire in California

Uncle Ly's residential area in Coffey Park, Santa Rosa burned down. Photo: Character provided.

At midnight on Sunday, October 8, Ngoc Ly, a student at Santa Rosa Junior College, was getting ready for bed when she smelled a burning smell. She went downstairs to check the electricity and gas to see if there was any fire or explosion, then opened the window and saw smoke outside, and strong winds like a storm.

"At around 2am, the whole family received a call from Aunt Thuy saying: 'Get your stuff out of the house. The fire is coming!', Ly told VnExpress. The whole family was still fast asleep at that time.

The police knocked on the door of Aunt Thuy and Uncle Tuan's house, asking them to evacuate immediately. Ly's family of 5 people lived less than 10 minutes drive from her uncle and aunt's house. About 30 people, including 5 families of Ly's mother's sisters, lived together in the city of Santa Rosa, Sonomo County, Northern California.

The girl woke up the whole family, gathered her papers and money, then got in her car and drove away. "The only things I took were my phone, laptop and wallet. I didn't have time to bring any more clothes. Everyone was wearing pajamas," she said.

The roads were almost jammed. The family pulled into a gas station, but it was closed. They had to drive south for another 10 minutes to find a working gas station, but when they got there, the line was long.

As they drove to safety, the families gathered and decided to head straight to San Jose, about 140 km south. When they arrived in San Jose, they heard that the Coffrey Park area in Santa Rosa, where hundreds of houses, including Aunt Thuy's and Uncle Tuan's, had been burned down. In the American press, many witnesses compared the scene to a "war zone" or "a bomb explosion."

The Ly family and other families were evacuated and placed on lockdown, but Santa Rosa police continued to update families on the fire via text messages.

Map of the area where the fire occurred in Northern California. Graphic: New York Times.

The wildfires have engulfed more than 110,000 acres, killing at least 23 people, destroying thousands of homes, and forcing tens of thousands to evacuate. Napa and Sonoma counties, California’s wine country, have been particularly hard hit. The wine industry contributed $58 billion to California’s economy last year. As of the evening of October 11, at least 285 people were still missing in Sonoma County.

By Ly’s own count, who has lived in Santa Rosa for eight years, the homes of about 20 Vietnamese Americans burned down. In the Catholic community of the Vietnamese Martyrs Church, of which Ly is a member, about 10 people suffered house fires. This number has not been independently verified.

Officials have not yet determined the cause of the Santa Rosa wildfire, but hot, dry conditions and strong winds of more than 80 km/h could have spread the fire.

Wildfires also emit toxic smoke and ash, disrupting daily life. Due to strong winds, the smoke quickly spreads to neighboring areas.

Le Quang Duc, 47, a resident of San Jose, said that on normal days the sky was clear and blue, but on October 11, the smog covered his vision and made it so uncomfortable that he had to take a car instead of walking to the supermarket near his house.

"My workplace is closer to the fire, so it's even worse. The smell of smoke seeps into the office ventilation system. My eyes burn and my nose itches all day long," he said.

US officials say this is the most serious wildfire in the history of California. Both the north and south suffered damage at the same time.

In Orange County, Southern California, more than 5,000 homes were evacuated due to a wildfire in the Anaheim area. The fire spread across 3,035 hectares, destroying 14 structures and damaging 22 others. No deaths were reported.

Ho Hoang Nam Thi, 58, a bank sales manager, lives in Anaheim, about 5 kilometers from the burned Anaheim Hills. From his home, Thi could see the smoke rising. "The red dust cloud was the color of fire. My house is so far away, but the yard and roof were covered in gray-black ash and coal dust from the fire," he said, adding that firefighters even came to his house to hand out masks.

Many Vietnamese people witnessed the strange smoke and ash phenomenon and took videos and photos and posted them on social media. Living near Little Saigon, Orange County, Vu Hoang Lan, founder and operator of Pho Bolsa TV, described the sunlight dimming and turning yellow as smoke and ash were blown across the sky by the wind. Vehicles, houses, and gardens had to be cleaned up and washed afterward, but people in this area were not worried because they were far from the fire zone.

Elementary and middle schools in the area carefully emailed parents. They kept students indoors and away from the outdoors. Sports classes were canceled so students wouldn’t have to go outside and breathe in dust and ash.

Although the house was not burned, Ly's family is still feeling confused and worried. They do not know how long they will have to evacuate San Jose, while work and school are on hold. Many people in her family are sick and cannot return to live in the toxic air. "There are many things to worry about, but for now, the family must stay together," Ly shared.

Her uncle and aunt did not have time to collect money and documents before evacuating. When they returned to find the safe, everything was burned. Ly is calling on friends and relatives to donate money to help her uncle and aunt in their difficult situation. "The house fire can be covered by insurance, but money and documents cannot be insured, so they are considered a total loss," she said.

Satellite image of wildfires in California. Photo: DigitalGlobe.

According to VNE