San Francisco neighborhood painted pink by retardant as fire crews save homes from Point Fire

By Suzanne Phan

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    BAY POINT, California (KGO) — In the East Bay, many families were forced out by the Point Fire are back home Saturday. That fire burned about 470 acres Friday night with containment now at 70%.

Retardant drops may have helped save these houses, but it also made a mess. At the Driftwood subdivision in Bay Point, just off Caskey Street, almost everything was bright pink. Blame it on all the fire retardant dropped.

But people there aren’t complaining. They’re grateful fire crews saved their homes.

“Thank God. I’m so grateful the house is here,” said homeowner Eleonora Schwarz.

It blackened hundreds of acres as it raced across ridges and down hillsides, coming right up to her neighbor’s property.

“The fire was really close to these houses, and the people were running out with bags in their hand,” Schwarz said.

ABC7 News talked with Schwarz on Friday as she, her husband and dog evacuated their home.

Her vehicle was hit by retardant right after sheriff’s deputies arrived at her doorstep and ordered her and neighbors to leave.

“Just as they said that, the helicopter passed and drenched us,” Schwarz said.

On Saturday, streets were painted pink.

It’s the aftermath of all the fire retardant dumped on homes in this Bay Point neighborhood.

Families who evacuated have been allowed to come back. Scott Malone returned and realized retardant is covering everything-yards, homes, cars, even playgrounds.

“My wife refers to it as Barbie Ville or something. It was so pink,” Malone said. “They told us its water soluble, so it should wash off.”

On Saturday afternoon, we saw neighbor after neighbor cleaning, washing retardant off homes and scrubbing the remnants off their cars.

Kevin Pereyra knows it won’t be a quick process.

“It’s going to take a few days,” Pereyra said.

Pereyra says the fire that marched toward his home terrified him. The aerial attacks, including the retardant drops, literally hit home.

“I just see the helicopter spray the retardant, right. Man, it was a scary moment,” Pereyra said. “Thank God it didn’t affect nobody here. Everyone is safe.”

CAL FIRE said these aerial attacks were a critical weapon against the fire.

“There were multiple air tankers, as well as helicopters. The air tankers are there to put in retardant drops that hep slow the spread of the fire. The helicopters are there to put in water drops. Also deploy FF hand crews that go and do work on the ground,” said Chelsea Burkett with CAL FIRE.

Firefighters now say they have the upper hand on the Point Fire.

Schwarz counts it a blessing that the danger in her neighborhood has passed.

“I think we’re kind of thankful that we could come back to the house, because when things like this happen, people come back to nothing,” Schwarz said.

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