Yuba County Mourns 4 Killed By Devastating Cascade Fire
YUBA COUNTY (CBS13) - The names of the four victims lost in the Cascade Fire were released Thursday by the county coroner.
It's in the devastated community that neighbors are trying to now come together.
The Foothill Lions and Lioness Club usually gathers on Thursday night, but this time they'll be missing a member, David Culp.
"He'll be missed. We have a meeting tonight, and there will be a vacant spot," said Lions member and friend, Mike Saala.
He said his Vietnam brother survived the war, but the 76-year-old was killed trying to save his home.
"People came by and told him it's getting too close he had to leave, but being the stubborn vet that he was, he decided to stay with his equipment figuring he could stop it where was at," Saala said.
The Cascade Fire ripped through Loma Rica without warning, destroying nearly everything in its path and taking the lives of four people.
A couple engaged for more than 15 years were among them. 78-year-old Stanley Coolidge and 53-year-old Roseann Hannah were found in a home off of Loma Rica where only small white flowers now stand.
Stanley's son Andrew, a council member in Chico, said his father was a prominent attorney in the Yuba Community for 40 years.
Hannah leaves behind two sons.
"My deepest and sincerest appreciation to everyone who has conveyed their thoughts and prayers to our family during this difficult time," said Andrew Coolidge.
The fire was so intense with wicked winds that some couldn't escape.
"The tops of the trees in the orchard's were just on fire. People drove through trees, tunnels, fences," Saala day.
Sandra Picciano, 77-years-old, was one of them found in her car trying to escape.
Between the devastation and lives lost, Saala said. It's a loss for everyone.
"It's a real tragedy what happened to him. I'm still trying to get it through our heads that he's not going to be around for the parades," said Saala.
The community just hopes and prays this will be the end of tragic stories left to tell.
Currently, the Yuba County Sheriffs office has no outstanding missing persons reports from the cascade fire.
