In the Ventura hillsides, a resolve to rebuild after the Thomas Fire

Laura and Ron Van Rossum were just about out the door of their Ventura home Monday night, a few minutes after an alert about a Santa Paula fire jolted them awake.

They were ready to help the Canine Adoption and Rescue League (C.A.R.L.), where as volunteers they would be able to host or help evacuate dogs until the emergency passed. 

Less than a mile away, Nick Bonge was also tracking the fire. He texted friends in Santa Paula, asking if they were OK and offering his place up to anyone forced to evacuate.

Within hours, the wind-whipped fire that sprinted from its origins around Thomas Aquinas College had destroyed both of their Ventura hillside homes. 

A street in ruins

Hillcrest Drive is a narrow, winding road where custom-built homes overlook views of the picturesque downtown, the Pacific Ocean and the Channel Islands. The Van Rossums moved to the city in 1989, and in their 1940s-era hillside home they settled into a community they grew to love. They also loved the house and had remodeled it various times — the most recent, just-finished project involved the third floor. 

On Thursday, the couple returned to the charred remains of their home for the first time and instantly set about, with the help of neighbors and Fresno firefighters, trying to open a gun safe that contained important documents.

“I’m not crying over the house. I’m crying when someone does something nice,” Laura Van Rossum said. “I’m so absolutely humbled by so much love. I didn’t know we were loved that much.”

Van Rossum believes in shopping local and strongly supports area businesses. Now, it is those businesses who are supporting her. At The Wharf on Front Street, where she went to buy new clothes, she was overwhelmed by the kindness of the store employees. 

Without a doubt, she said, the couple will rebuild after the Thomas Fire. In fact, they’ve already been in contact with the Ojai architect who worked on their recent remodel.

“I love this community,” she said. 

In the rubble, determination

In the 600 block of Briarwood Terrace, neighbors Amy Crittenden and David Carlson helped Nick and Adele Bonge dig through the rubble of their house. The fireproof box they sought contained documents related to the Bonges’ house, their marriage and other important things.

Nick thought they were digging where the bathroom had been, but Adele recognized a box from her closet and thought they might be getting close. The side of the shower leaned precariously. Adele found a page from a book and began reading from it.

Not long after Nick’s friends in Santa Paula had assured him they were OK on Monday night, sheriff’s deputies arrived to order Nick, Adele and their 17-year-old daughter Alyssa to leave the house. In their backyard, the glow coming from Hall Canyon signaled the fire was near.

When they returned at 2 a.m., it was too smoky to see the extent of the damage, even from 300 feet away, Nick said. Then they got closer. Aside from a charred wall facing the street, the house was a pile of unrecognizable ash and twisted metal.  

Nick planned to meet with his insurance adjuster later Thursday and, with his help of his daughter, had leads on a house to rent. “We have a lot of memories here. We raised our kids here. Our son’s soccer trophies melted,” he said. “But we’re optimistic. We’re going to rebuild and make it better.”

Bonge said he wouldn't even consider leaving the hillside, a place that because of its people and eclectic homes is so special it's difficult for those unfamiliar with it to fully understand. 

Ventura’s loss

At the Thursday night news briefing, fire officials said 439 structures had been destroyed, and 85 had been damaged. Most of those were in Ventura. 

On Hillcrest Drive, home after home was in ruins, with a fireplace, twisted plumbing fixtures, a grill and blackened trees among the remains. The neighborhood wasn’t even the worst, Fresno fire officials checking on the street said Thursday.

Among the homes still standing is one owned by the family of Nichole Hocamp. She said she felt overwhelming feelings of guilt but also deep appreciation.

Still, she said, “It’s hard to be happy when you look at everyone’s destruction and devastation.”

Some of her best friends in the Ondulando neighborhood lost nearly everything in the fire. One found a meaningful Christmas ornament and a mug that says, “I love you a latte,” Hocamp said. The discovery of the mug caused her friend to start crying.

Hocamp shared with The Star a photo taken Wednesday night after the fire. In it, her friends sat in a pair of just-purchased chairs under a tattered, burned umbrella and caught the smoke-filled sunset over the town they loved, with the mug between them.  

Editor's note: This story was updated with the correct name of the animal shelter where the Van Rossums volunteer.