A Santa Rosa woman died in the fires, her neighbors survived. Here are their stories
They escaped because a neighbor knocked on the door, because a dog barked in panic, because something deep down told them:
“Death. Go. Leave now.”
The residents of Hemlock Street in Santa Rosa went to bed Sunday night assuming the fires devastating Northern California were miles away.
By 1 a.m., their front doors were flung open to chaos. A wildfire roared through their street, bringing fierce winds, fireballs and embers. Cars exploded. Roofs collapsed. One neighbor, Carol Collins-Swasey, died.
By sunrise, this block of ranch-style homes that neighbors had worked so hard to care for was gone.
“When you stand there and look at the devastation,” Jack Reisner said, “there are no words.”
Only a few houses remained. Some gym equipment. A basketball hoop. A single white lawn chair.
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