Asian Journal- The Filipino-American Community Newspaper

The deadly fire that is raging in California

is less than a mile (about two kilometers) away from the house Filipino-American Leslie Laddaran.

“Yes, it’s pretty close,” said Laddaran, 43, a dentist.

The father of four who has three younger children still staying with him (the eldest is off to college) said he was prepared to evacuate his family when the police knock on their door and ask them to leave.

Laddaran said the government has taken steps to ensure minimum casualties and to manage the disaster better.

“School has been cancelled, and there are so many evacuation centers,” he said.

He said he and his family might stay with relatives when this happens. “There have been some who refused to leave,” he said.

Laddaran said he was preparing to take with him some important files from the computer and important documents such as passports.

“I’ve also taken pictures and videos of the house…Everything else is replaceable. We’ll just have to make sure that everyone is safe,” he said.

He said the fire started last Wednesday over the other side of the mountain from where he took the photograph that accompanies this article and has crossed over to his side of the mountain.

Laddaran said the fire has gotten worse over the weekend when the weather turned hotter and drier.

“They said it has been 60 years since we’ve had this kind of fire so it’s going to be hard to put out,” he said.

Experts initially estimated a September 6 fire out, but have since moved it to September 15.