PETALUMA (KRON) — A woman evacuated Monday amid the North Bay wildfires describes her chaotic escape.
She spoke with KRON4’s Ella Sogomonian at the Veteran’s Hall shelter in Petaluma.
Christina Whisman says she woke up at 1:45 a.m. Monday morning to a house smelling like “campfire.”
Whisman knew the fire wasn’t coming from inside her house, but knew it couldn’t be too far away.
When a friend called to ask if she was okay, that’s when she knew danger was eminent.
She looked on Facebook and instantly knew it was time to get out.
Whisman was not in an officially evacuated area (yet), but as a single mother of three, she was’t going to take any chances.
In addition to her three kids, Whisman tells KRON4 her cat just gave birth to a new litter of kittens.
While trying to get all of them out safely, Whisman was also struggling to contact her mother, who was caught in one of the very first locations ordered to evacuate.
After a morning of driving back and forth on crowded roads and waiting for official information, Whisman, her three kids, and all but one of the cats made it safely to an evacuation center in Petaluma.
Whisman stayed strong for her kids, only showing emotion when a shelter volunteer hugged her upon arrival.
“As soon as she hugged me, that’s when I started to cry,” Whisman said.
She says the shelter has been “amazing.”
There’s plenty of food and water, even beds for almost everyone there.
Her son even found a friend from school, which has brought a major sense of comfort in this time of uncertainty.
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