Column: Unimaginable tragedy hits tiny Imperial County town

Published in the San Diego Union-Tribune by Diane Bell on July 1, 2020

One person died and wildfire wiped out about 10 percent of Niland’s homes, leaving residents devastated

By DIANE BELL - COLUMNIST

JULY 1, 2020 6:12 PM PT

A little town in Imperial County north of Brawley was nearly wiped out by a wildfire Sunday night.

Initial reports are that one person died and at least 39 structures (mostly homes, trailers and apartment units) — about a tenth of the town — were burned down or badly damaged.

An estimated 500 to 600 residents were evacuated, as firefighters fought the five-alarm blaze which ignited in the brush and, as strong winds shifted, swept through the tiny town of about 1,000 residents.

Some found refuge at the homes of friends and relatives. Others gathered at the nearby Calipatria High School gym, where emergency workers handed out vouchers for temporary motel stays.

This catastrophe follows on the heals of COVID-19, which has greatly impacted Imperial County and fueled Niland’s already high unemployment rate. 

Relocation support has been hampered by pandemic distancing rules. Emergency workers talked to many of the evacuees in their cars as they tried to provide food, clothing, temporary housing and other services.

This rural, low-income community near the Salton Sea is inhabited by many who make a living doing seasonal work in nearby agricultural fields. Niland is in the district of state Sen. Ben Hueso, D-Chula Vista, and local U.S. Congressman Juan Vargas.

Its homes are modest, aging houses and trailers with two and three generations of a family living together on the same lot. Many of those who lost their homes had no fire insurance, often because insurers refused, citing the age or condition of their houses.

It is a town that San Diegan Rich VandeNoord, calls “off the grid.” He has been a member of a duck club near Niland for 20 years and describes its residents as warm and welcoming people. 

“So much is going on with COVID and protests that it just slipped through the cracks,” he says. 

VandeNoord is trying to rally friends, many of whom work in the construction industry, to help. Food and toiletries are plentiful for the evacuees, but housing and temporary transportation is not. 

VandeNoord is contacting other duck clubs in search of available movable trailers that might be used to temporarily house displaced Niland residents.

Staci Reidinger, board president of HomeAid San Diego, also is working with Imperial County officials as they continue to assess the fire toll. In addition to temporary housing after hotel vouchers expire, transportation is a critical need, she said. Many lost their cars in the fire and have no way to get to work, stores and medical appointments. A rental bus, Uber vouchers and rental vehicles could help with temporary transportation needs.

Lorena Ponce, 27, a community college student, says the wildfire torched her home and the houses of three other members of her family. She lives with her single mother and younger sister and returned home from her part-time job to witness the lot next door bursting into flame. “I grabbed my pet pig. I didn’t have time to get clothes. I just got in my car and headed out of town,” she says.

Her sister and mother already had evacuated with her cousins. They are staying in the nearby Calpatria Inn on the voucher program. “Nothing is left of our house,” Ponce said. “We’re looking for a home to rent.” 

She describes Niland as a town in which “everyone knows everyone. When anyone needs help, we call each other. It’s a good community.”

That theme was echoed by Monique Lopez, one of the many who set up GoFundMe accounts this week asking for emergency help for the residents of Niland.

“I take great pride in my hometown of Niland, California, and that it has shaped the person I am today,” Lopez noted. “Niland is such a beautiful community filled with people that genuinely care for one another.” 

She estimates that 43 families were left homeless. “For this close-knit community that has already been hit hard by continued economic hardship and most recently COVID-19, it is a devastating loss.”