Tag Archives: Gold Country Region

One Year Later: Resilience (and Romance) in the Wake of Devastating Disaster

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Story and photos by Barbara Wood, American Red Cross volunteer

Polina Ken searches through the ashes on her property. She saved almost nothing from the flames because she was outside watering down her home when she was told to evacuate, jumping in her car with only her phone and the clothes she was wearing after trying unsuccessfully to find her dog, Waldo.   

What happened to Polina Ken one year ago on September 2, 2025, when a lightning-sparked fire turned her Chinese Camp home and almost everything she owned to ash and mangled metal, might lead some to self-pity.  

Not Polina, who as a Cambodian refugee has had to rebuild her life from scratch more than once.   

“I’m tough. I do anything to survive. I don’t give up,” Polina said after the fire.   

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