As Sonoma County evacuations are lifted, a community rallies

NOVATO, Calif. (KTVU) - The town of Glen Ellen is among the areas hardest hit by the wildfires. On Sunday, evacuation orders were lifted for residents, some of them found nothing left of their homes. In the evening, the community rallied together holding a fundraiser in Novato to help many of those fire victims.

“I remember the first time we came and looked at this house before they bought it I thought, oh my God, we get to live here,” said Ariel Dillon whose family home was destroyed.

Not much is left of the Dillon family home that sat atop a hill overlooking the Sonoma Valley. Bought by her parents in 1991, it's where Ariel Dillon grew up. The 3,000-sqaure foot home was a dream come true for them, now destroyed in the wildfire.

“What makes this loss more devastating than just the loss of all of our family heirlooms and all of our things and our place, but they lost everything for my brother,” said Dillon. “Now they have to start over completely.”

Her 75-year-old parents and 41-year-old brother who is disabled and bound to a wheelchair lived there. It’s where they set up a rehab facility for him.

As the Nuns fire ripped through, they evacuated grabbing important documents and medications. Two weeks later, this is the first time Ariel's been able to return salvaging what she could.

“It’s terrible,” said Dillon. “Any little thing I can recognize takes on incredible meaning.”

An example is a lawnmower she's had for six years. It barely worked. It was untouched by the flames. However, wedding dishes disintegrated as soon as she picked them up.

“It’s devastating,” said Dillon. “I don't know how to process it at this time.”

Her family is not alone. Many homes on Dunbar Road and along Highway 12 in Glen Ellen are leveled. Many families are returning to rubble.

“We wanted to help because this is local community,” said Matt Krick of Bay Marin Community Church. “This is the Bay Area coming together.”

Thirty miles south at Beercraft in Novato, the North Bay community held a beer-tasting fundraiser for wildfire relief efforts. Many of the attendees didn't know the fire victims but wanted to do something

“I’ve lived in Marin for six years and I’ve never seen anything like this before,” said Krick. “The way people have come together around a crisis.”

As for the Dillon family, Ariel snaps photos for her parents. They're temporarily staying with friends in Healdsburg. Planning to hold onto the land for now, Ariel is determined to rebuild the home back to its original beauty.

“I love the Sonoma Valley,” said Dillon. “This place is so special to so many of us. I want to rebuild to try to bring it back.”
The family is working with their insurance company. They know it will be a long journey ahead. Sunday’s fundraiser raised $4,500. The money will go to the Sonoma Resilience Fund focused on long-term care.