Gold Country News and Notes

It began on the evening of Saturday, September 13. A small fire took hold of the landscape in Pollock Pines, California and began moving from tree to tree in this forested community hit hard by the ongoing drought. By Sunday morning, it was clear that the King Fire would not be going without a fight. Within hours, the fire quickly jumped in size from 500 acres to 1,000 to 2,000.

The billowing smoke put on a dazzling display for onlookers as it “boiled” over the tree tops. A fleet of firefighting aircraft swarmed the skies overhead, bombarding the blaze with everything they had but having minimal impact. The terrain was rugged, the wilderness like kindling, and the wind driving the flames beyond the reach of firefighters. Continue reading When Disaster Strikes

By CARL MANNING, American Red Cross Volunteer

Ask Andy Grossman why he’s an American Red Cross volunteer and his answer is simple – he really enjoys helping people.

It’s a philosophy that’s been a major part of his life, not only as a Red Cross volunteer in Weed, California, but also as pastor of the Abundant Life Church of the Nazarene in nearby Mount Shasta and as chaplain for the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Department and the City of Weed.  And if that isn’t enough, he’s just had a book of poetry published. Continue reading Red Cross Volunteer Helps his Town Recover

By CARL MANNING, American Red Cross volunteer

Despite losing her home and everything in it to the Boles Fire, Tiffany Duhon still wants to live in Weed, California with her five children. With some help from the American Red Cross, it looks like she will.

Tiffany and her family settled into Weed four years ago and she began taking college classes with the goal of becoming a lawyer. Over the years she and her family have become part of the community, active in church and school activities. Continue reading Boles Fire Takes Family’s Home, but not their Spirit

By CARL MANNING, American Red Cross Volunteer

When wildfire victims in the northern California mountain community of Weed come to the American Red Cross seeking help, one of the first people they likely will meet is volunteer Connie Hoffer, who has seen her share of devastating fires.

A volunteer from Littleton, Colorado for a nearly a decade, Connie has seen first hand several Colorado wildfires over the years and knows just how horrific a fast-burning, widespread fire can be.

Nestled at the base of Mount Shasta, Weed is a small community of barely 3,000 people. When the Boles Fire erupted on September 15, it quickly consumed 287 acres, destroying or damaging 162 homes. For this small community, it’s a loss that will never be forgotten. Continue reading Help and Healing in Weed

It was an all too familiar sight to Kari Guthrie as she saw smoke start to rise up over the hills near her home in Mosquito, California. It was the early beginning of the King Fire, a blaze in El Dorado County which has grown to over 82,000 acres across the drought-ravaged landscape since it first started on September 13. Continue reading Red Cross Volunteer Pays it Forward

SACRAMENTO, Calif., Wednesday, September 17, 2014 – Wildfire season is in full swing and the American Red Cross Capital Region is hard at work supporting communities affected by continuing, drought-fueled blazes throughout our 24-county territory.

American Red Cross Capital Region volunteers are hard at work assisting residents impacted by two large wildfires – the Boles Fire in the City of Weed (Siskiyou County) and the King Fire (El Dorado County). Since Sunday, the Red Cross has operated three shelters, providing overnight stays for more than 200 residents and serving hundreds of meals to the affected communities. Continue reading American Red Cross Responds to Northern California Wildfires

Written by Heath Wakelee, Red Cross Volunteer and Placer DAT Lead

Yesterday morning at 6:10 AM, my phone rang. I’d just finished a big breakfast in preparation for a hike that was now not going to happen. It was [Red Cross volunteer] Bob Eger asking if I could respond to a fire in Auburn with nine adults needing assistance. Continue reading Saving the Day with Placer County Disaster Action Team

Written By Caroline Nilsson, Red Cross Volunteer

Sequoia, aged six, and Twyla, aged nine, had never heard of the American Red Cross. But when heavy smoke from the Happy Camp Fire Complex descended upon their rural Northern California home in Siskiyou County, the became fast friends of the Red Cross at an evacuation  shelter in Yreka. Continue reading Children’s Art Graces Yreka Shelter