The bells toll year after October wildfires to remember 44 lives lost, 24 of them in Sonoma County

A firefighter in navy blue dress uniform tolled a silver bell 24 times Monday evening in Santa Rosa.

He paused a moment for the 24 lives lost one year ago in Sonoma County wildfires. Then he rang the bell 20 more times for others killed last October in similar blazes in Mendocino, Napa and Yuba counties.

In the crowd in Old Courthouse Square, Jessica Tunis wept openly. Her mother, Linda Tunis, had died in the Tubbs fire at the Journey's End mobile home park in Santa Rosa.

Brian Kirven stepped up to Tunis and said he was sorry for her loss. 'I lost my father, too,' he said of his dad, Monte Kirven, who died in the same wildfire at his home near Riebli and Mark West Springs roads.

The ringing of the bell and the connections made between grieving family members were among the most poignant moments Monday as the county remembered its worst natural disaster in more than a century. A collection of city, county and state elected leaders came together to pay tribute in a short observance on the first anniversary of the North Bay wildfires.

The gathering was one of a handful taking place early this week to mark the most destructive wildfires in state history. In addition to the observance on the square, fire survivors met Monday night in Fountaingrove and Larkfield neighborhoods, and at the Journey's End mobile home park.

The October wildfires claimed 24 lives and destroyed 5,300 homes in the county. The first fires started in a terrifying windstorm on the night of Oct. 8 — including the historic Tubbs fire, which started in Calistoga — with flames reaching Santa Rosa early the next morning. When the fires across Northern California were fully contained 23 days later, 44 people had perished.

By 6 p.m. Monday, a crowd estimated between 350 and 450 people had gathered in the downtown square. Many there earlier had taken the invitation to draw art and write messages on the pavement with chalk.

Neighborhood leaders from the burn areas had alerted city and county officials beforehand that many fire survivors wouldn't be attending the countywide observance.

For the anniversary, some mentioned 'they wanted to spend time with their families,' Santa Rosa Councilman Chris Rogers said.

Sonoma County Supervisor Shirlee Zane said the anniversary for many is bringing back powerful emotions tied to the disaster.

'People are reliving that trauma,' Zane said.

The downtown observance was led by KSRO Radio news anchor Pat Kerrigan and Press Democrat columnist Chris Smith. Roughly a dozen officials, including City Council members, county supervisors and three state legislators, stood behind them.

The only government official to speak was Mark Ghilarducci, director of the Governor's Office of Emergency Services.

'Tonight we remember those lost, those whose lives have forever been changed, and we celebrate in our community what we've accomplished in just one short year,' Ghilarducci said. 'We look forward to the future with confidence and conviction that we continue to rise to the challenge, and we will continue to do this together.'

The evening included a reading of three poems by Sonoma County Poet Laureate Maya Khosla. She said the poems were inspired by interviews with fire survivors who through the disaster 'lost so much and gained so much strength.'

Among those in attendance was Mary Byrn, 90, whose Londonberry Drive home off Mark West Springs Road survived the fire. She recalled that when she learned of Monday's observance, 'I said I had to go.'

For her, the evening was a chance to join with her community. 'It's where we live,' she said.

Tunis, the woman who lost her mother, said she had come to the anniversary gathering 'to be part of a communal space.' There she held hands with Cathie Merkel, a Santa Rosan whose mother, Sharon Rae Robinson, also perished in the fire in the Mark West area near Riebli Road.

Kirven, a Point Reyes resident, decided to attend but was feeling out of place until he spotted Tunis crying. After he spoke with her, he also met Merkel. The three next hope to meet again for coffee.

Merkel said she had been wary of attending the event but was glad she did.

'When you come to something like this,' she said, 'you hope for a connection.'

Tunis, also a Santa Rosa resident, expressed appreciation she could share the evening with her community.

'I was grateful I could cry in public and been seen and be comforted,' she said.