In 2017, the infamous Tubbs Fire wrecked numerous counties in Northern California, notably the Napa, Sonoma, and Lake Counties, destroying more than half of the homes in the area and displacing over 100,000 people. Starting on Oct. 8, the wildfire burned for 23 days until it was finally put out on Oct. 31. The Tubbs Fire became known as the most destructive fire in California at the time it happened, which left many fire victims with the burden of rebuilding their lives.

Selma Vandermade was unfortunately one of the many affected by the fires in Santa Rosa, which bore the brunt of the Tubbs Fire’s destruction. Having been supported by the American Red Cross herself during this tragic situation, Selma has been returning the favor as a prominent Red Cross donor and Tiffany Circle member.

Selma recalled the night of the fire itself, describing the moment when she had to leave her beloved home.

“We woke up around 2 a.m. because we heard booms going off,” she said. “We didn’t know what to do. We were kind of in a frantic panic. The sky was just bright red. We were driving down the street thinking that we were going to come back, but by 7 a.m. the next day, there was nothing. A lot of people had already evacuated.”

She and her husband drove to the Finley Community Center, which served as an evacuation site for all of the wildfire victims, and spent the night there with their neighbors.

“I probably screamed and lost it because I knew my cats were going to be gone. That was the hardest part,” she said. “We were able to drive back in the morning and just saw that it was gone. It was just a war zone. Things were still on fire.”

In response, the Red Cross launched their disaster relief services for the victims of the wildfires. Selma highlighted that the Red Cross site in Santa Rosa provided a lot of support and information to her and her husband throughout the process.

“They were very kind and helped me with all my needs,” she said. “People were donating to us victims of the Tubbs Fires, so it was nice to have those resources because otherwise we didn’t know what we were supposed to do. I remembered the Red Cross and said, ‘I’m going to pay it forward one of these days.’”

Fortunately, she and her husband were able to stay with their friends as they rebuilt their lives, but they ended up waiting over five months before they could move into their new home. She and her husband cherished their original home deeply and had it rebuilt in the same way even after the fire.

Since then, she has donated to the Red Cross to aid victims of other natural disasters, such as the 2023 Lahaina fires in Maui, the 2024 Hurricane Helene in North Carolina , and this year’s Los Angeles wildfires in Southern California.

Since 2017, California has experienced over 260,000 wildfires that have destroyed over nine million acres of land. Selma empathizes strongly with these fire victims, having been one of them herself.

“I knew what they were going through. They had no time to leave. They are running down the street with fire embers this big following them,” she said. “I wanted to help them. I want to pay it forward.”

Even until today, several years after the Tubbs Fire occurred, she still feels the trauma from the night the fire took place.

“There are triggers. You smell smoke or you hear a fire engine, it’s a trigger. It brings back bad memories. If the fires or another disaster happened, I don’t know if I can ever be fully prepared,” she said. “You can’t be fully prepared because you don’t know how much time you’re going to have.”

During this year’s 30th anniversary Red Cross Gala in San Francisco, Selma was in attendance to present the Humanitarian Volunteer of the Year Award to a fellow Tubbs Fire survivor and Red Crosser, Betsy Witthohn.

She encourages all to donate to the Red Cross and share their resources with those in need, especially as the number of natural disasters continues to increase.

“The best resource is the Red Cross because they have the means to get donations to the right people,” she said. “When I make a donation to the Red Cross, it makes me feel good because I know it’s going to people that need it. The world needs to be kinder, and we need to protect each other. We need to keep fighting to take care of the planet and take care of each other.”

Learn more about how you can support the Disaster Relief Services here.