It all began - for us - in the early hours of October 9th, 2017. My wife's phone began buzzing. An automated alert system was notifying her of nearby fire. Her work had also been trying to reach us. It was around 3am. We learned that northern Santa Rosa was burning. We knew friends and colleagues who live in the vicinity of the area, so we immediately started calling people to see if they are okay. As dawn neared, it was obvious this was bad, the sky was clouded in smoke.