Memorial Bell Tolls for 42 Victims of Calif. Wildfires

San Francisco Chronicle

Oct. 29—The Northern California wildfires killed people in four counties. But one, Sonoma County, bore the brunt of loss. Twenty-three lives, more than half the total, were lost there.

On Saturday, those lives—and the others—were remembered.

Sonoma County hosted a Day of Remembrance at Santa Rosa Junior College, ringing a memorial bell to honor the 42 people who died in Sonoma, Napa, Yuba and Mendocino counties. Hundreds of residents gathered on Bailey Field under the mantra "Sonoma Strong."

Those gone were sons and daughters. A former Navy lieutenant, a wildlife biologist. The youngest was 14. The oldest, 100.

Sheriff Rob Giordano, speaking at the event, said the county will rebuild, but with nearly two dozen fatalities and thousands of destroyed homes, it will never be the same.

"It's events like these that teach us how fragile life really is," Giordano told the crowd. "Really, the No. 1 focus of today is to not forget the people we lost."

Gov. Jerry Brown declared Saturday a Day of Remembrance of the Northern California Fires, ordering flags be flown at half-staff over the state capitol. The mood was similarly solemn but hopeful at the college, where a firefighter color guard played mournful tunes on bagpipes and a choir sang songs of solidarity like "Lean on Me."

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi spoke at the event during her tour of the wildfire zone, presenting a commemorative flag for victims and first responders to Santa Rosa Fire Chief Tony Gossner. She told the audience there was one thing to offer in the wake of such devastation.

"We can give you hope. Hope is where it always has been. Sitting right there between faith and love," Pelosi said. "Love in the air is thicker than smoke."

The event honored the dead and the living: Ken Pimlott, chief of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, was present as first responders were celebrated and the thousands who lost homes and businesses were offered support. Outside the football field, those entering the event could sign a long white banner filled with thank you notes for first responders. The banner read, "North Bay Fire Remembrance #SonomaStrong."

One note said, "Santa Rosa Strong! We will rise again!" Another simply read "HEROES."

Santa Rosa resident Elizabeth Colbert leaned over to write, "You're the best."

Colbert, who lives in the Oakmont neighborhood, said she had to evacuate her home for about a week.

"Compared to what happened to everyone else, it's nothing," she said. "You got to put your blessings in perspective."

Since firestorms broke out the night of Oct. 8, whipped by strong winds, 42 people have died, nearly 9,000 homes have been destroyed and 100,000 people were forced to evacuate in Northern California, according to Cal Fire. As winds have eased, firefighters have made progress, expecting containment on the worst of the wildfires to be days away.

The Atlas Fire, which killed six people and blackened more than 50,000 acres in Napa County, was fully contained Friday evening, according to Cal Fire.

Three large wildfires continue to burn in Sonoma County: Tubbs, Pocket and Nuns. All were 97 percent contained Saturday.

The Tubbs Fire claimed 22 lives in Sonoma County after spreading there from its point of origin off Highway 128 and Bennett Lane in Napa County's Calistoga. Flames went through 36,807 acres, but firefighters have almost fully stopped the fire's spread with control lines. The 17,357-acre Pocket Fire began off of Pocket Ranch and Ridge Ranch roads in Geyserville. It did not claim any lives.

The Nuns Fire, which accounted for one fatality in Sonoma County, encompassed more than 56,000 acres straddling Sonoma and Napa counties. It sparked off Highway 12 north of Glen Ellen and merged with several fires in its path during the disaster.

Mark Ghilarducci, director of the state Office of Emergency services, reflected on Saturday's progress as a signal of the recovery efforts the wildfire zones face.

"Our next steps are as important as our first. Many of our wildfires are now out," Ghilarducci said. "The work is not over."