This 10-minute video was shot, edited, and annotated by members of the engine crew. I have a personal connection to it (and a disclosure to make): I have known one member of the Berkeley crew, Mike Shuken, my entire life. The work he, his engine-mates, and all first responders have done and continue to do is humbling.
When I watched the video Saturday, the emotions of the week finally broke through. I have another personal connection, as do so many in the Bay Area: My father, stepmother, aunt, uncle, and stepbrother all live in Santa Rosa. Their houses are in or very near the three neighborhoods — Larkfield/Wikiup, Fountaingrove, and Coffey Park — that were devastated by the initial firestorm. They are all unharmed. Somehow, their houses so far have avoided destruction, unlike many of their friends’ homes and businesses.
The crew’s video conveys both the immediacy of the horror and the razor’s-edge fragility of our lives, no matter where we live. Whether we’re watching footage of some future tragedy or helping friends and neighbors whose lives were blown apart by a Diablo wind, our family will never forget how much luck plays a part in our well-being.
Here is the Berkeley fire crew’s recommended donation list to help victims and responders — including one of the their colleagues, whose house was destroyed in Santa Rosa.
- Sonoma County resilience fund.
- Sonoma County Recovers — direct aid to people in need:
- Marin Humane.
- A local community fund for various agencies.
- The Berkeley firefighter who lost his home.
Alex Lash is editor in chief of The Frisc.
