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Rain Helps Wash Away Fears Of Another Devastating Wildfire For Santa Rosa Couple

SANTA ROSA (KPIX) -- The North Bay got its first sprinkles of rain overnight, washing away lingering concerns of another devastating wildfire.

The system that came in Tuesday night is the kind of rain firefighters were hoping to get. The concern is this weekend, when the atmospheric river is expected to come through this area.

The first raindrops fell around 7 pm Tuesday. in Santa Rosa. It glossed over the streets until a heavier downpour arrived just after 9 pm. The wet stuff, in any form is a welcome sight for many of the local residents.

Manisha Deshmukh from Santa Rosa says, "We'll be happy with the rain."

For Manisha and Susheel Deshmukh, the rain alleviated some of the fears they face every October and November.

"This is very stressful every year," says Susheel.

They were evacuated in the Glass Fire last year, and believed they would be coming back to an empty lot.

"When we left that night, we thought it was gone," says Deshmukh.

The storms arriving this week quickly forced the Santa Rosa Fire Department to shift gears from fire danger to storm damage. Not, firefighters are concerned about Tuesday's wind advisory knocking down power lines. Furthermore, this weekend an atmospheric river could cause mudslides in burn scar areas.

The hope though is after this week, fire season will officially be over.

"We're hopeful that given the amount of rain we're expecting later in the week and especially this weekend, that we'll be able to end it here locally," says Assistant Fire Marshall Paul Lowenthal.

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