SANTA ROSA (KRON) — Doctors, nurses, and hospital staff from Santa Rosa were recognized on Monday for helping evacuate and take care of patients during the Tubbs Fire.
But while Sutter Hospital was under evacuation, so were the homes of many of its staff.
KRON4’s Camila Bernal spoke to a doctor who despite losing his home to the fire did everything he could to keep his patients safe.
It was 2 a.m. on Oct. 9 when Dr. Scott Witt was sleeping, only to be awakened by a call from the nurse manager at the newborn intensive care unit.
As the director of the NICU, Dr. Witt got dressed and jumped in his truck, heading to Sutter Hospital.
“I knew I couldn’t get anywhere in my truck, so I went back to my house to get my motorcycle because you can get around traffic easier on it,” Dr. Witt said.
At the same time, his family was also being evacuated from their Fountaingrove home.
They drove off to safety while he headed into the flames.
“That’s when I recognized, wow this is really significant,” Dr. Witt said. “We might actually have to move and get babies out of here. You can’t just put them in a taxi and take them somewhere. They have to have an incubator.”
They waited for ambulances to transport eight babies-but his job didn’t end there.
The doctor wanted to follow his patients.
He, again, jumped on his motorcycle.
“The roads that we were taking had embers and burning stuff falling on to the freeway and down power lines, so it was a lot more perilous than it was when I first started out,” Dr. Witt said.
The babies were all kept safe and the doctor will never forget it.
“I’m thankful for my bike,” Dr. Witt said. “I always have been, but I’m more thankful for the people around me and the people in my life, and I feel more connected to people in the community than I ever did before,” Dr. Witt said.
Dr. Witt’s family was also able to evacuate the area safely. But the fire destroyed their home and all of their belongings.
He and his family are living in a temporary home, and he says he wants to rebuild.WHAT OTHERS ARE CLICKING ON: