Last weekend when forest fires broke out in Northern California, they have spread so quickly that many residents were caught off guard. Couple Berriz, like thousands of other residents of Santa Rosa, was not informed in time about the disaster, which led to irreversible tragedy.
Monica Okon, her husband, daughter and parents, Armando and Carmen Berriz, enjoyed the stay in Santa Rosa and celebrated the birthdays of the parents. A large part of Sunday afternoon they spent in the pool, played Board games and exchanged stories.
Before you go to sleep, they did not smell the smoke and saw no signs of fire. At about midnight Louis Windows, turned on the light and noticed on the street a strange red glow. He got up to take a closer look.
My angel and superman. ❤❤
Posted by Monica Berriz Ocon on Tuesday, October 10, 2017
After a few seconds the man watched as the front yard of a small part of the lawn starts to ignite. By the time the family left the house, the fire had surrounded them.
«It’s hard to explain if you weren’t there, – said Luis channel CNN. – Literally 30, maximum 40 seconds, a smoldering flame turned into a fire that consumed everything».
They sat in several vehicles to try to escape from a fire. When they went, burning trees began to fall on the road.
«It was like something you see in a movie about the Apocalypse,» said Louis.
When the couple of Windows with her daughter went to a safe place, they found that the machines any friends there. Louis went back to the ridge to find them, but to go was impossible. Along the way, the man met the firefighter who took his number and promised to look for his family.
Posted by Monica Berriz Ocon on Tuesday, October 10, 2017
As it turned out, the spouses Berriz failed to break through, as their way was blocked by a fallen tree. The husband and wife decided to return to the house and wait out the fire in the pool.
«They went hand in hand, together, and jumped into the pool,» told the words of the father of a daughter Monica.
They held each other and moved from one side of the pool to the other to escape from the outside heat.
«They were a team, said Luis CNN. They counted on each other».
But there was too much smoke, and the breath 75-year-old woman just could not resist.
Carmen died about 7 am. Her husband Armando a few hours of holding her in his arms, and when the fire went out, put a body on the edge of the pool and went to look for help.
«He was comforting us, instead of us comforting him, told his father in law when they failed to detect. He stayed awesome and was full of power».
This tragic episode in the life of one family is very reminiscent of a similar story that happened to an older couple from Santa Rosa, but with a more positive ending. The couple , Jan and John Pasco on Sunday spent in the pool 6 hours to escape from the fire. Fortunately for them and their family, the husband and wife survived.
California #Wildfires … smfh pic.twitter.com/NGDNZOih42
— IG: @7SeasRecords (@7SeasRecords) October 16, 2017
