A Bay Area-based agency is stepping up to help those impacted by the deadly and destructive Southern California wildfires.
After the Fire USA, based in Sonoma, is already getting to work in the Los Angeles area. CEO Jennifer Gray Thompson said the nonprofit group works with local agencies, providing hope and an eye to what comes next.
"The top priorities are how do they access insurance, what nonprofits are trusted, like United Policyholders, to help them navigate that," Thompson said. "How to navigate things like contractor fraud. Three types of people show up after a disaster: those who want to sell you something, those who want to defraud you, and those who want to help.”
Burke Bly is still repairing his own property damage from the 2020 CZU Fire in the Santa Cruz Mountains and helping his neighbors.
Bly, who runs a fire mitigation company called Conscious Clearing, is also headed to LA to help family members there.
"It's going to be people stepping in and helping and trying to keep things affordable," Bly said. "They’re going to need labor, help. I am really deeply saddened and I pray for the families. I had to go through it, and it’s quite a nightmare."
After the Fire USA was already helping in the Santa Cruz Mountains before the LA fires broke out. Bly said he’s grateful.
"You have to be community driven to help these people facilitate and get back into homes and to get their fire mitigation handled," he said.
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