Neighbor stays to help homes from burning on Mountain Hawk Drive in Santa Rosa

One resident of the Skyhawk Community in east Santa Rosa sent his family away Sunday night but vowed to stay and protect his home and those of neighbors.

Jas Sihota, 49, a radiology technician at Kaiser Permanente, worked to help save four neighborhood homes using garden hoses.

“I’m no cowboy, I just didn’t want to lose my house,” he said.

Sihota knew the situation was dire when he saw his maple tree bending from the wind Sunday night. Beyond that, he saw a completely red sky.

He told his family to leave and he remained, as he said he had done in previous evacuations for the Tubbs and Kincade fires.

Seeing embers the size of golf balls, Sihota sprayed the roofs of his house and several others before flames arrived. Later, he said, he saw fences and landscaping catch fire and doused them.

At least a dozen homes were destroyed in the Skyhawk Community, the bulk of which on the stretch of Mountain Hawk between Brigadoon Way and Nighthawk Drive.

Sihota’s home survived and he has remained in the neighborhood despite power being out. He purchased a whole home generator last year to power his house.

You can reach Staff Writer Kevin Fixler at 707-521-5336 or kevin.fixler@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @kfixler.