“What is the most random thing you grabbed when you evacuated?” Santa Rosa resident Shana Berger Van Cleave asked on Facebook on Oct. 17 at 10:52 a.m, nine days after a deadly wildfire killed burned down tens of thousands of acres, destroyed hundreds of homes and killed at least 22 people.
Three days later, the list is still going strong.
As of 5 p.m. Friday, the post had more than two thousand comments ranging from everything to every day household items, personal treasures and as the question suggests, just random stuff ("my favorite fork") Santa Rosa residents remembered to take with them during those harrowing last minutes. Some of them came back to see their houses still standing, some didn't.
NBC Bay Area compiled some of the responses, which range from the mundane ("Kleenex") to emotional ("family Bibles"). They will make you laugh and cry.
"My four year old took his t-ball trophy <3" — Briana Woods
"As I unpack, flashing rings, lavender oil, chapstick, mints, this under the bills .. random and I do not remember, as it was 3am Sunday night Monday morning and people we know we're already running for their lives. With a heavy heart, and hopefully a little giggle, I share this. Trying to keep the mood light, and apparently, flashy…" — Gay Bianco-Batte
"I grabbed a game of Farkle and butt wipes, you guys. What the heck." — Sari Meline
"My drinking buddy was the only thing that got saved!!" — Poppy Keller Gillaspy
"A mixed case of my favorite 2000 bottles." — Matthew Alain Paille
"Long story." — Gina Ehren Swenson
"A book that my great grandfather wrote. I didn't even sense the irony then. We were never actually evacuated though... but I never really added anything to my initial bags that I packed. It put a lot of things into perspective." — Heather Evenson
"My brother saved his entire hat collection." — Brittney Campos
"I grabbed a Christmas card I received from Barack Obama - odd, huh?" — Patty Cory
"Holy water and rose water (perfume) – blessed and smelling my best!"
For the complete list, click here.
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