The "Selina Computer Classroom”—In Memory of my Late Niece—Joyfully Expands to Other Schools in Kenya

“Faith is the strength by which a shattered world shall emerge into the light”

—Joseph Campbell

by Dr. Dennis Augustine

After losing Selina who was only 40 years old when she passed away over 10 months ago, my brother-in-law Joe wanted to do something of consequence in loving memory of his daughter. He turned to his long time friend, Noel Olweny whom we met in 2006 at the Kenya Safari Club during our travels. In the years that followed Joe has become his mentor and assisted Noel to get his masters degree in Land Management at Egerton University in Nijoro, Kenya.

Fast forward to the present moment, the Selina Computer Classroom became immensely popular at the Masogo school. Noel, who sits on the County Assembly Service Board Member at the Assembly of Kisumu, has become an integral part of the expansion that has the approval and blessings of his Mama, the matriarch of the family.

At the end of September, Noel visited the Onong'no Comprehensive School for the second time, which was the first part of the expansion. He told Joe, “All is happiness here. We were received with a warm welcome from students and staff, and Mama planted a tree in honor of Selina’s spiritual presence in the school and also planted one in honor of you and your granddaughter, Zaila.”

Noel added: “We also checked out the Selina Computer Classroom we had equipped in memory of our friend Selina Mcallister (USA). This has been a fulfillment beyond measure. I was glad to find out that the school is really maximizing the use of the 22 donated laptop computers.”

Noel plans to replicate the success they have had to other joyful projects like the Hongo Radhiang School and the Karombe School which is merely one cluster of schools in Kadibo Subcounty. The goal is to extend it to other clusters of schools in the heart of Kisumu County in the near future.

While Laptops provide access to technology in underfunded schools allowing students to bridge the digital divide, learn computer skills, and access online educational resources, donated soccer gear, jerseys, and running shoes that has been distributed fosters community engagement, teamwork, and physical activity which are crucial for children’s overall well-being.

Nelson Mandela once said "Children are our greatest treasure. They are our future". How wonderful & consequential to see Noel and his team continue the life-changing work. Blessings to all involved in this endeavor and I am honored to have been a contributor.

Happy Heavenly Birthday to My Late Niece and Goddaughter Selina Mcallister

by Dennis Augustine

“Death ends a life, not a relationship.”

—Jack Lemmon

My beloved and beautiful late niece and goddaughter, Selina Marie McAllister (nickname Lina Marie), was born on September 23, 1983 and left us for the heavenly realm of December 28, 2023 at the age of 40. Her middle or baptismal name Marie was given to her by my sister Josie in honor of our mother, Marie Augustine.

We all remember her with silent tears. I firmly believe that she would have wanted us to smile and go on with our lives. Though that is a difficult task, especially for my beloved sister Josie, my brother-in-law Joe, their 13-year old granddaughter Zaila or “Z, and nephews Jake and Joey. On many levels, they are still mourning her loss since Selina left this earthly realm nine months ago. I ask friends and family far and near to send a little love, grace, and prayers their way.

In Mythology, Selina means Greek goddess of the moon, as well as the Roman goddess Luna. As the moon goddess is believed to have driven

the moon chariot across the heavens. The name Selina also translates to ‘heaven.’ Selina loved her grandpa Frank and Grandma Marie (my late parents), so much so, she would always humbly thanked me when I included her in any posts relating to them.

Grandpa Frank loved to rhyme and sing a few verses from songs he remembered from his younger days which Selina found endearing.

She would have loved to hear him sing: "You are my Sunshine’s" original lyrics claimed to have been written by Oliver Hood. It was recorded in 1939 and though it has several meanings, makes for a beautiful lullaby. Selina, whose smile lit up the room like the sun, always had a special place in her grandpa Frank's heart. When I was young, I used to hear dad sing this catchy tune, and chances are Selina had heard it too. Sunshine as a metaphor means you are the light of my life, dear to me, important, and special. The feeling between therm was mutual. Here’s an excerpt from some of the lyrics:

“You are my sunshine

My only sunshine

You make me happy

When skies are gray

You’ll never know, dear

How much I love you

Please don’t take

My sunshine away

Happy Birthday dearest Selina. You are always loved, never forgotten, and forever missed.

Postscript: Dear sis, thanks for placing the beautiful blue hydrangeas you picked out at the florest on our behalf and placed them at Selina's headstone at Holy Cross Cemetery in North Arlington, NJ.

Visiting and Remembering our Visit to the 9/11 Ground Zero Memorial and Museum in NYC

"Visiting the 9/11 Memorial and Museum is not just about remembering a tragic day; it’s about understanding the resilience of the human spirit and unbreakable resolve of a city and nation that faced unimaginable horror.”

—Mark Vogel

Today marks the 23rd Anniversary of 9/11. Last October, Cecile and I and our friends Nelson and Susie Bye toured the 9/11 Memorial to pay homage to the victims. Here are the photos I took during our visit.

I still remember my late mother Maria calling me that fateful day with sadness and fear in her voice to tell me we were at war. “What do you mean,” I asked. She added: "Terrorists bombed the Twin Towers.” Later, my late brother Michael shocking told me he saw the planes go into the Twin Towers while working on top of a roof at a construction site near Hoboken, NJ., across the Hudson from NYC where we grew up.

September 11th, 2001 was the largest terrorist attack on the United States since Pearl Harbor, changing the skyline of NYC and leaving the World Trade Center building in ashes and ruins and scores of families in mourning.

The World Trade Center complex in NYC, included the iconic Twin Towers. The events are etched in the collective consciousness of people around the world. On that fateful morning, 19 terrorists hijacked four commercial airplanes. The attack resulted in the collapse of both towers within hours, causing massive destruction and loss of life. Nearly 3,000 people perished and over 6,000 other were injured. More than 400 first responders including firefighters, police and others that bravely rushed to the scene died solemnly performing their sworn duty to serve and protect.

One of the most poignant parts of the ceremony is the reading of the names of the victims aloud by family members and loved ones. The act of personal remembrance adds a deeply human element to the ceremony.

International Holocaust Remembrance Day: As we Witness an Alarming Surge in Antisemitism

“For evil to flourish, it only requires good men to do nothing.”—Simon Wiesenthal

On Saturday, January 27, the United Nations General Assembly observes the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau as International Holocaust Remembrance Day (IHRD), a time to remember the six million Jewish victims of the Holocaust and the millions of other victims of Nazi persecution. As we witnessed Hamas’ deadliest attack of Jews since the the Holocaust referred to as Israel’s 9/11” or “Israel’s Pearl Harbor, what followed was an alarming rise of antisemitism around the world globe that was simmering below the surface.

The black-and-white iconic photograph taken by a rabbi’s wife depicts a brass menorah—a traditional Jewish candelabra—during the Jewish festival of Hanukah in 1932 positioned on a windowsill directly across the street from the Nazi party’s regional headquarters building upon which a large swastika flag is seen hanging menacingly from the facade. This marked one woman’s courageous defiance against one of the world’s most violent and oppressive regimes. On the back of the snapshot, Rachel Posner, wife of rabbi Dr. Akiva Posner, and taker of the photo wrote an inscription: “The flag says ‘death to Judaism,’ the light says “Judaism will live forever.’”

Akiva Baruch Mansback, a great-grandson of rabbi Akiva and Rachel Posner, told Greenbaum Davis, the writer of the Newsweek piece in 2019, that the lighting of the menorah "reminds him of the resilience of his ancestors and the continuity of Jewish history.” In over 80 years since the Holocaust, about 245,000 Jewish survivors across 90 countries are still alive. Around 49% living in Israel, 18% in Western Europe, 16% in the United States, and 12% in countries of the former Soviet Union.

The Holocaust was the genocide of European Jews during World War ll. Between 1941-1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews primarily through mass shootings and poison gas in several extermination camps. In over 80 years since the Holocaust, about 245,000 Jewish survivors across 90 countries are still alive. Around 49% living in Israel, 18% in Western Europe, 16% in the United States, and 12% in countries of the former Soviet Union.

Postscript: German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier joined in the lighting ceremony of the Hanukkah menorah belonging to the Posners, A German Jewish family at Berlin’s Bellevue palace last December during the so-called Festival of Lights, filled him with deep gratitude and humility and above all, happiness.” (AFB, Times of Israel).

Recalling Martin Luther King and Visiting the Civil Rights Museum in Memphis & His Stand on Antisemitism

(short video clip link at end of post)

“Peace for Israel means security, and we must stand with all your might to protect its right to exist, its territorial integrity and the right to use whatever sea lanes it needs. I see Israel…as one of the great outposts of democracy in the world, and a marvelous example of what can be done, how desert land can be transformed into an oasis of brotherhood and democracy.”

—Martin Luther King, Jr.

In the spring of 2018, Cecile and I and our friends Nelson and Susan Bye spent an emotional morning visiting the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, the last stop on our riverboat cruise. 2018 marked the 50th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination by James Earl Ray while King stood on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel which stood right before us. A funeral wreath of red and white carnations hung on the railing outside room 306, making it a symbol of the civil rights movement and becoming the first Civil Rights Museum in 1991.

In its’ day, the Lorraine Hotel hosted entertainers as Cab Calloway, Aretha Franklin, Count Basie, Nat King Cole, and B.B. King. The vintage cars in the parking lot represent the vehicles parked at the Lorraine Motel when Dr. King was killed. I was 13 when Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., gave his historic “I have a dream” speech in 1963. The struggles of the civil rights movement during the 60s were hard to completely digest as a young teen. That said, I remember being moved by his inspiring and passionate oratory skills and courageous non-violent protests.

Sixty years ago, an estimated quarter of a million people assembled in front of the Lincoln Memorial for the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. Many American Jews were active participants and leaders in the march including

Arnie Aronson, a little-known gifted organizer; Rabbi Uri Miller who recited the opening prayer; and Rabbi Joachim Prinz who delivered a stirring speech just before King’s historic words.

As the great Civil Rights activist, Reverend King advocated for equality, and against hatred, poverty and bigotry of all kinds. He was outspoken for Israel and Jewish people and against antisemitism and made this abundantly clear in one of his speeches. He once said: “When people criticize Zionists, they mean Jews. You’re talking anti-Semitism." As a preacher he certainly wouldn’t have favored war and the casualties of war; and certainly wouldn’t have approved of the Hamas hostage taking serial killers who crossed the Israeli border and beheaded babies, raped women, and slaughtered people including those who were simply attending a music peace festival.

Standing Tall an excerpt from Jamie McKenzie’s poem:

“Some kings rule their kingdoms sitting down

Surrounded by luxury, soft cushions and fans

But this King stood strong, stood proudly, stood tall…

Even in death Even today

Stands strong, stands proudly

Stands tall

And we remember

Video Clip link of Martin Luther King Jr., Against Antisemitism & Israel’s Right to Exist

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gsDKjWxB-k

12 Longest Hours of My Life: An Afternoon with Yadin Gellman A Wounded Israeli Warrior on the Mend

“First of all, thank you for having me. I feel it’s very important for the whole world to hear all these stories and get the real and full picture of what’s going on here in Israel.” —Yadin Gellman

It sounded like a Hollywood movie, Yadin Gellman, an Israeli actor, and Commander of the IDF’s Special Forces, was with his team on October 7, after celebrating his 30th birthday the night before, organized by his girlfriend Adva Dadon, one of Israel’s most prominent television news journalists. But this was no movie. Gellman and his unit heard the missiles attack that fateful Saturday morning and was told this isn’t just another conflict. This is war. Hamas, the Palestinian Islamist group who assumed administrative control of Gaza Strip in 2007, launched a surprise attack against innocent civilians across the Israeli border. Many were attending a music peace festival. When he and his team passed through the military barricades they saw civilians who were in the war zone. When they got to kibbutz Be’eri, he saw something he never imagined even as a combat soldier. He saw babies that were killed in their bed, families where their loved ones were shot and their bodies treated in the worse way possible, others burned alive inside their rooms.

They went room to room, saving as many hostages as possible. On the way to the dining room, they saved 50 hostages. Kids were tied together and tortured in front of each other by Hamas terrorists. He and his team went to save them, when his right finger was shot off by an AK 47. They managed to take out that terrorist. Then, he got shot on his left side with three bullets, one blew a hole in his chest, his shoulder and his arm which he thought he had lost. The fighting continued. His team managed to take down all the terrorists and attempted to save Yadin and his dear friend David, his number two in command. Unfortunately, David sadly passed away in the helicopter, leaving behind his beautiful wife and 6 month off child. Yadin is here today, lucky to be alive. When he was loosing blood and there was a strong possibility he would die, he had two thoughts:

Number one, “I’m going to survive, no matter what," and two: "I should have married Adva.”

Yadin played a clip of him being interviewed by CNN while he was in the hospital. One of the reporters recounted all he had said he had gone through and asked "How are you doing emotionally…What you have seen is traumatizing…I don’t get how you recover from that. Considering all Yadin had been through he had the presence of mind to respond as follows:

“That’s a question that has to be asked by every Israeli here and abroad. We all have been traumatized as a nation. Our home has been penetrated. Our security has been shaken, and we see that pure evil has been living around us and inside our homes…How I’m doing and how my mental state is, is a question that is irrelevant now…I think we need to win the war, the next day we need to start taking care of ourselves both physically and mentally.” One of the reporters said that others they had talked to responded similarly, adding that they don’t have the luxury to assess their mental state because they were in battle and in survival mode. The reporter ended the interview by stating: “Yadin, you are indeed a hero. Sorry for your the loss of your friend David…and best of luck in your recovery.

Postscript: Yadin Gellman shared with us that ten years ago he gave up his religion and his family took it badly. But, after all he has been through, and survived, he has a new outlook on life and feels it is a miracle that he is alive and has renewed his faith and practice of Judaism. He also has begun to speak on college campuses like USC and sharing his story with the FBI, Pentagon officials, news outlets and social media groups.

Attending Lahaina Wildfire Survivors Housing & Healing Event on Kaanapali Beach: A Heartfelt Peaceful Protest

When I first saw about 20 pop-up tents and a large welcoming Ohana (means family in Hawaiian) tent across from Whaler’s Village and Leilani’s restaurant on Kaanapali Beach, I thought gee, this must be an arts and crafts show.

That was until I read some of the signs and posters: Fishing for Housing, Sign our petition for dignified housing, Keep Lahaina Lands in Lahaina Hands, Lahaina Strong, Homes for the Holidays, You want Workers? We need Housing, All I want 4 Christmas is Long-Term Housing,” and many more.

Yesterday afternoon, following a tribal flow yoga class I walked over to the homeless encampment. I met a few of the volunteer staff and community organizers to try to get a better handle on what was going on. I was told they are staying on Kaanapali Beach, exercising their “Native Hawaiian rights” to fish 24 hours a day, seven days a week. They planted fishing poles in the sand and are calling their action “Fishing for Housing.”

I was allowed complete access to take photos and listened to a number of politicians and advocates speak as the crowds grew larger.

One of those speakers was Paele Kiakona, a former hospitality worker and advocacy and communications coordinator for Lahaina Strong, who said: He and the coalition of 28 grassroots organizations are urging Maui Mayor Richard Bissen and Hawaii Gov. Josh Green to provide dignified housing solutions like converting short-term rental properties into long-term rentals; extending protections for renters against rental increases and evictions for at least a least a year; pushing for immediate mortgage deferral for all homes completely lost in the fire, and back end mortgage abatement of all properties that are not engaged in short term rentals.

Kiakona introduced one of the other organizers, Courtney Lazo who lost the Lahaina home she and her family lived in for five generations. She spoke about the pain about being shuffled around from one short term rental to another. "How does one start to rebuild their life and create a sense of normalcy, if you can’t even unpack?"

She added, “I like that we’re down here at Kaanapali Beach, some of the most expensive real estate in the world to serve as a constant reminder for everyone—this is the reality that the community is facing and they can’t just sweep it under the rug and pretend it doesn’t exist.”

Postscript: I was encouraged by the person who coordinates all the media appearances that the funds that Cecile and I donated three non-profit organizations right after the Lahaina wildfire tragedy occurred, was very timely and helpful including Marriott Ocean Club which matched all donations made up to $250,000.

Happy New Year & Anniversary to our Israeli-American Friends who got Married in the Golan Heights During the Yom Kippur War of 1973 while serving in the Israeli Army

Happy New Year & Anniversary to our Israeli-American Friends who got Married in the Golan Heights During the Yom Kippur War of 1973 while serving in the Israeli Army

Yom Kippur, also known as the Day of Atonement which began at sundown last evening runs through until nightfall today. The most appropriate greeting for Yom Kippur is G’mar Hatima Tova, which means ‘may you be sealed in the Book of Life.’ The day focuses on introspection, celebration, and beginning the new year—which began on Rosh Hashanah, on September 15 with a clean slate.

Last evening Cecile and I and our son Jason watched the film Golda, the biographical drama depicting the life of Golda Meir, the 4th Prime Minister of Israel, particularly during the Yom Kippur War starring Helen Mirren, Camille Cottin and Live Shreiber. Faced with the potential of Israel’s complete destruction, Meir must navigate overwhelming odds, a skeptical cabinet and a complex relationship with U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger as millions of lives hang in the balance during the tense 19 days of the Yom Kippur War in 1973.

Interestingly enough, our Israeli-American friends Itzik Korakin and his wife Mika’s lives and anniversary literally parallel the same time period. They were both serving in the Israeli Army, which is compulsory for Israeli citizens. Itzik, who was born in August 1950, the same year as me (Our birthdays are two days apart) served the last of his six year commitment—which included three years in military school—in the Golan Heights as an operations officer for a battalion of tanks.

On the eve of Rash Hashanah Israeli TV news did a story about their wedding 50 years ago during the Yom Kippur War at a base camp in the Golan Heights [seized from Syria in the closing stages off the earlier 1967 Six-Day War]. Itzik’s superior arranged the surprise wedding ceremony. After several attempts by Israeli TV who had the original footage to contact Itzik, they finally succeeded. They interviewed him and Mika and arranged for a local photographer to take some current photos. It’s not often that a couple gets married while serving in the Israeli Army and even less common during wartime. Happy Anniversary to Mika and Itzik and their family and congratulations. They have become part of Israeli history with a story to tell.

"ONE DEGREE OF SEPARATION FROM A MASS SHOOTING…”AS WRITTEN BY BRAD RAGO ON BEHALF OF HIM AND HIS FAMILY WHO SURVIVED THE ATTACK

“It took me 45 years to understand what it means to run for your life…It took Charlie [his son] only 9 years to experience this feeling.” —Brad Rago

Special Report by Dr. Dennis F. Augustine

In my Facebook post on the Fourth of July about celebrating Independence Day with Cecile, our daughter Michelle, her husband Kyle and our granddaughters Lyla and Emmy, I hinted about family members and acquaintances that survived the crazed attack by the rooftop shooter during a parade in downtown Highland Park, Illinois, a place we spent a lot of time at while living in Chicago and more recently last month.

I purposely left out the names of those who survived the attack because it was their story to tell. Our niece Emily Schwimmer shared a provocative and heartfelt essay on Facebook yesterday that her cousin Brad had written and posted on Linkedin (see link below). Brad and his family who live in Highland Park have been going to this yearly event since 2012. One can only imagine what it was like to go to the event expecting a celebration and leave a survivor of a mass shooting.

The youtube ABC Chicago video clip below gives you a birds-eye view of where he and his family were sitting when the repetitive shots were fired and people were fleeing for safety. He writes that his first instinct was to take his 9-year old boy Charlie and jettison him off to safety as fast as he could, telling him not to look back. The rest of the story will surprise you. It reads like a chapter in a fast-paced novel. But this is a real life story about real fear, and courage under fire from a man who doesn’t want anyone’s sympathy but is grateful that he and his family are alive and is respectful of law enforcement on the scene. His motive is simple: To have us learn from his experience that no one is immune. This can happen to any of us, and it's up to each one of us to help bring about change. There is much to learn here about the wisdom and sincerity of his message that is palpable.

Cecile and I are so happy and relieved to hear that Brad and his wife, Meridith, his son Charlie, and his parents Judy and Beau that we have seen at family events over the years are safe—albeit unstandably shaken.

Essay by Brad Rago: One degree of separation from a mass shooting: What are YOU going to do?

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/one-degree-separation-from-mass-shooting-what-you-going-brad-rago?trk=public_post-content_share-article&fs=e&s=cl&fbclid=IwAR0TbmyXHaLIOhU5JIxJwIlTKpND39m0Njp1EISTa0aQaC38g8EFV2QAsss&fs=e&s=cl

ABC video clip of shots fired and people fleeing for safety:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyo-w0UulqM

A Rabbi’s Unbridled Optimism in the Face of Tragedy: Helping to Rebuild a San Jose Synagogue Destroyed by Fire

“It is axiomatic of Jewish psyche and tradition that rather than allow tragedy and destruction to demoralize us, we use

it as a springboard to achieve greater heights.”

—Rabbi Mendel Weinfeld

Optimism and courage in the face of tragedy best defines Brooklyn born Rabbi Mendel Weinfeld, founder/director of Chabad House in the Almaden neighborhood of San Jose as expressed in his quote I cited above. He no doubt took his lead from his Rebbe [spiritual teacher], the late great Menachem Mendel Schneerson. Considered to be one of the most influential Jewish leaders of the twentieth century, the Rebbe once said: “Imagine you could open your eyes to see only the good in every person, the positive in every circumstance, and the opportunity in every challenge.”

After moving to the area Mendel and his wife Mussi held gatherings and Jewish holiday services at their home for over a year before the grand opening celebration of the Chabad House on Rosh Hashanah in September 2021. Little did they know three months later on December 22, 2021, a devastating fire set by a troubled individual would consume the synagogue. Fortunately, the Torah scrolls and other sacred books were spared from the fire by firemen on the scene. After hearing about the fire, we made our first donation on January, 18 to help rebuild the synagogue. We decided to give in memory of Cecile’s late great grandfather David Pretula, an orthodox Jew who used to walk to his synagogue in Chicago to pray every day. Grandpa Dave, as he was affectionately called and Cecile’s great grandmother Dora had escaped religious persecution in a small village outside of Kiev, formerly a part of the Soviet Empire in the early 1900s.

Rabbi Weinfeld paid us a visit recently, and brought Cecile and I a gift box of special Ukrainian Matzah (handmade version of unleavened bread with the consistency of a cracker preferred by observant Jews for Passover). It was imported from Dnipro, a city in eastern Ukraine which has the largest Chabad Center in the world. It also houses the largest Holocaust museum in the former Soviet State that has been under missile fire by Putin’s military invasion. It came with a booklet about Passover.

Since our first donation toward the rebuilding of the synagogue, Rabbi Weinfeld’s congregation received such overwhelming support that he and his congregation members and advisors were inspired to launch an Emergency Recovery & Capital Campaign called “Rise from the Ashes,” with the intention of raising enough money to purchase their own facility more than double the size of the space they were renting and provide a permanent home for congregants to “embrace their heritage and celebrate it openly.” Cecile and I are so impressed with Weinfeld’s unbridled optimism, we decided to match our previous donation by 100%.

"In the Divine scheme of things,” wrote Mendel Kalmenson, Rabbi of Beit Baruch in London and author of Time to Heal, "…disaster can be seen to pave the way for even greater regeneration and blessing than before. This is especially true when it comes to the ability to transform…disaster [darkness]…not as an entity or force unto itself, rather it is itself an agent of light.” Sometimes there are people in our midst who are able to visualize through their faith that there is light at the end of the tunnel that others can’t see. Rabbi Weinfeld appears to me to be one of those people.

Postscript: For those inclined to help the San Jose Synagogue RISE FROM THE ASHES here is the link: Chabadfire.com

Also see link below for this sad but inspiring story: San Jose Jewish community attempts to rebuild after destructive synagogue fire by Maggie Angst published January 24, 2022.

https://www.mercurynews.com/.../unanswered-questions-and.../

Witnessing Firemen Battling a Four-Alarm Fire at a Three-Story Commercial Building From My Bike

“The bravest are surely those who have the clearest vision of what is before them, glory and danger alike, and yet notwithstanding, go out to meet it.” —Thucydides

My wife Cecile and I made plans to have lunch at Santana Row. When I opened the garage I smelled smoke but wasn’t sure where it was coming from. When we got home later in the afternoon, I retrieved my phone which I had forgotten to take with me earlier and noticed that my biking buddy Bill had been trying

to reach me to join him for a bike ride. His text indicated that a fire had broken out near the entrance of the Los Gatos Creek Trail that we ride frequently on located at Knowles Drive and Dell Avenue in Campbell, near the Los Gatos border and less than a mile from Netflix headquarters.

I decided to take an evening ride about 6 PM and saw Bill walking his dogs. He told me the fire was still burning and encouraged me to take a look. I decided to approach the area from the Hacienda entrance to the creek trail near Kaiser Permanente. I could see the smoke billowing over the trees from a distance. I was on the scene in about twenty minutes. There were teams of firemen from the Santa Clara Fire Department and from Santa Cruz still working to put out remaining flames, but for the most part it looked liked they had it mostly contained. Street access was taped off and cars had to take a detour to their destination. Having a bike made it easier to get around offering me a vantage point to take these series of photos without being in harms way. Bill took the photo of a fireman hosing down the flames inside the cyclone fence.

I discovered that the catastrophic four-alarm fire sparked at a familiar, vacant 50,000-square foot building at about 10AM. The firemen were fighting the fire from the exterior since conditions were such that the building had deteriorated rather quickly. There were an abundance of emergency vehicles including one from the Governor’s office and several battalion chiefs. The blaze was still belching smoke over a large area. Fire hose water was flooding the streets and sidewalks around the perimeter. Crews were expected to remain at the scene overnight and operations could continue over several days.

Fortunately, there were no injuries or fatalities. No evacuation orders were given, but the Los Gatos Creek Trail was closed in both directions. The building itself collapsed in the middle of the afternoon hours before I arrived on the scene. See video Clip!

Proscript: The morning after! While I slept in, Bill rode his bike to the scene earlier this morning to beat the expected rain. He texted me the last two photos, one of him, and the other clearly showing the massive building reduced to a smoldering and smoking pile of rubble. The last photo is what the building looked like before the fire. Ironically, it was scheduled to be demolished next week to make room for a new development project.