Thirteen Sebastopol residents looking for homes after devastating fire
Thirteen Sebastopol residents looking for homes after devastating fire
A fast-moving fire in the Hollyhock neighborhood spread to a nearby apartment complex
John Andersen was just settling down to sleep when one of his neighbors pounded on his door just after midnight on Nov. 31, yelling about a fire. He peeked out the door, saw the orange glow, grabbed his five-year-old daughter and ran outside. After making sure she was safe, he ran back and grabbed his work computer and a satchel full of legal documents, which he always kept by the front door for just such an occasion. Then Andersen, an environmental scientist who works for the state, headed back outside where his daughter was waiting.
Andersen, who had taken some fire science classes earlier in his life, said he’d been worried about a fire at the small apartment complex where he’d lived with his daughter for the last three years, but with rents sky-high, it was the only thing he could find, even with his good-paying state job.
In the immediate aftermath of the fire, the Red Cross swooped in with emergency cash for the victims of the fire—enough for two nights in a hotel and a bit more. Andersen and several other victims of the fire stayed at the Fairmont Inn and Suites for the first few nights, while others stayed with friends or family.
Now Share Sebastopol, the Lemon Aide Project and several local political officials are working hard to find them permanent homes in Sonoma County’s notoriously tight rental market.
A fast-moving fire
The late night two-alarm fire destroyed one home and severely damaged three others, causing $750,000 in damage, according to a press release from the Sebastopol Fire Department. No one was injured, but there were eight households displaced by the fire: Andersen and his daughter, a family of five, and six individuals.
Neighbors in the Hollyhock neighborhood first reported a fire to the rear of a home at 6921 Redwood Ave., just before midnight. When firefighters arrived minutes later, they found the fire had quickly spread into the second floor and attics of two homes on Redwood Avenue, as well as to a business and two homes in the small apartment complex located behind the strip mall that houses Himalayan restaurant and Launch, a clothing store.
Thirty firefighters from Sebastopol, Gold Ridge, Graton, Santa Rosa, and Occidental responded to the fire. With fire engines on Redwood Ave and on Gravenstein Hwy., fire crews knocked down the fire in the homes and a carport area, where fire destroyed multiple vehicles, including Andersen’s.
Firefighters were able to save three of the small attached apartments and kept the fire from spreading to the restaurant and clothing store. They brought the fire under control in 45 minutes and remained at the scene extinguishing hot spots into the early morning hours.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
The search for homes
Sebastopol Mayor Patrick Slayter and Councilmember Diana Rich leapt into action the next morning to find homes for those who had been displaced by the fire. Rich put notices on both Nextdoor and Facebook, and she’s gotten more than a dozen offers of housing for the fire victims.
“I'm amazed by the response I got to my Nextdoor and Facebook postings,” she said. “I have heard from 16 people who have a combination of rooms for rent and homes for rent, short term and long term … There's been a really impressive willingness to help out and a real message of compassion and caring, which just makes you feel good about life.”
Of the 16 offers of housing, two are in Sebastopol, eight in Guerneville or Forestville. plus others in Rohnert Park and Santa Rosa.
“All very generous,” Rich said. “Many were offering below market rental rates …The challenge is fitting what’s offered with what’s needed. Many of those affected need to remain in Sebastopol. Some of the renters lost their cars in the fire, for instance, so driving any distance is out of the question.”
The Lemon Aide Project, an organization created to help the victims of wildfires, heard about the Sebastopol situation on social media and jumped in to help.
“As of now, we are working with City Councilwoman Diana Rich in order to get the contact information of everybody who needs help from this fire,” Lemon Aide Project representative Shannon Parkhurst said. “We are currently collecting donations in all forms to provide sustainability for those in need. I know John and Dylan need shelter immediately, so we are working on connecting with the community to see what is available.”
Rich and Parkhurst have also reached out to Amy Appleton, who runs Share Sebastopol, which specializes in connecting people needing emergency shelter with homes.
Can you help?
If you have a house to rent or to share, short term or long term, or a car you’re not using, please contact Shannon Parkhurst at this email.
Lemon Aide is also doing a fundraiser for monetary donations on Facebook here.
In addition, GoFundMe fundraisers have been started for two of the fire victims