See drone's-eye-view of California wildfire devastation
SANTA ROSA -- Almost week after the deadly Tubbs Fire ravaged the Santa Rosa neighborhood of Coffey Park, CBS San Francisco got an exclusive view of the devastation from its drone, known as Skydrone 5.
After getting permission from authorities to fly over the neighborhood hit hard by a fatal wildfire early Monday morning, CBS San Francisco was able to take video with Skydrone 5 that showed block after block of destruction.
For the past week, drones have been prohibited from flying above the massive burn area, which encompasses about 200 acres of a densely populated neighborhood on Santa Rosa's northwest side.
All told, about 2,800 homes were destroyed in the area.
Joe Razo, 85, was one of the first homeowners allowed back into the area.
"I just can't believe it, you know, that my house would look like that," said Razo.
The fire had knocked out power, so his children had to manually open the garage door and hold it up while they backed out the car and evacuated.
The house was one of the closest to the advancing flames, and was likely one of the first to go. He had lived there for 35 years.
On Sunday, Razo and his family were on the hunt for diamond earrings, coins, pottery or anything else that may have survived the intense heat.
Razo's wife is suffering from dementia and is near the end of her life. Part of her ceramic angel collection made it.
When asked what it meant to her that the angels survived, fire victim and family member Irene Aguayo said, "There's hope, and we'll be moving on. And when she does go, she'll be looking out after us. As we move forward and rebuild."
There are stories of everyday heroes everywhere in Coffey Park.
Chuck Frampton stayed behind to save his and his neighbor's homes on the southern end of the burn area.
Neighbors are currently taking turns patrolling for looters.
He says they recently stopped a pair of men from making off with a gun safe.
His message to anyone coming into the area with the idea of looting?
"Don't do it. Let people go through their stuff," said Frampton. "Let people have their things, what they've got left."