Vietnamese girl's night running from wildfire in California

Uncle Ly's residential area in Coffey Park, Santa Rosa burned down. Photo: Provided by the character.

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 and strong winds like a storm outside.

"At around 2 a.m., the whole family received a call from Aunt Thuy saying: 'Get your things out of the house. The fire is coming!', Ly told VnExpress. The whole family was still sleeping 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'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 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 huge.

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

Ly's 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 45,500 hectares, 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 fueled the fire.

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

Le Quang Duc, 47, a resident of San Jose, said that on normal days the sky is 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 California's history. Both the north and south suffered damage simultaneously.

In Southern California’s Orange County, more than 5,000 homes were evacuated due to a wildfire in the Anaheim area. The fire spread over 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, Mr. 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 also came to his house to hand out masks.

Many Vietnamese people witnessed the strange phenomenon of smoke and ash 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 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. Gym classes were canceled so students wouldn’t have to go outside and breathe in the dust and ash.

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

Her aunt and uncle's family 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 aunt and uncle in their difficult situation. "The house fire can be compensated 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