Ceremony To Mark 2-Year Anniversary Of Sonoma Complex Fires

SANTA ROSA, CA —In observance of the two-year anniversary of the devastating North Bay fires that claimed 44 lives — 24 in Sonoma County — and destroyed 5,300 homes, the county of Sonoma and the city of Santa Rosa invite community members to a brief ceremony Tuesday, Oct. 8 in Santa Rosa.

The ceremony begins at 5 p.m. at the courthouse square in downtown Santa Rosa. The gathering with local firefighters will include a moment of silence to remember those who lost their lives in the fires, officials said in a news release.

Also on Tuesday, Oct. 8, a moment of silence will be held during the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors regularly scheduled meeting. At 8:30 a.m., the Board will call for 44 seconds of silence, in solemn memory of the 44 people who lost their lives to these fires.

DEVASTATION

The night of Oct. 8, 2017, multiple fires broke out throughout Napa and Sonoma counties in the North Bay area. In Sonoma County, what were initially five major fires merged into three: the Tubbs, Nuns and Pocket fires, which collectively became the Sonoma Complex Fires.

The fires burned 110,000 acres and were fully extinguished 23 days later on Oct. 31, 2017.

Because the anniversary of the disaster may trigger difficult feelings and memories, county and city officials said the following community organizations are offering free, bilingual, mental health support:

— Wildfire Mental Health Collaborative, call NAMI at 866-960-6264 or visit mysonomastrong.com

— Rebuilding Our Community (ROC) Sonoma County, call 707-535-3349 or visit rocsonomacounty.org

— Catholic Charities Disaster Case Management, call 866-542-5480

— Santa Rosa City Schools' Integrated Wellness Center, call 707-890-3827 or visit srcschools.org/domain/2112

— Sonoma Community Resilience Collaborative, call 707-303-3600 or visit srhealth.org/about-us/resilience-collaborative

— Wellness and Advocacy Center Peer-to-Peer Mental Health Support, call 707-565-7800 or visit Wellnessandadvocacy.org

• ALSO SEE: Santa Rosa To Host Wildfire Documentary Screenings