As the Santa Rosa wildfire threatened her home, a 24-year-old college student didn’t leave her best friend behind.
KRON reported that Natasha Wallace was driving home from Santa Rosa Junior College around 2 a.m. Monday and realized her Santa Rosa, California, neighborhood was on fire.
"Everything was gray, everything was destroyed and it went for miles," Wallace told KTXL Thursday.
She immediately thought of her 4-year-old, 70-pound pit bull, Bentley.
“I would never part ways with my dog. Ever,” Wallace said. “That’s my ride or die.”
Wildfires in Northern California have taken the lives of more than 30 people. The college soccer player was focused on getting out before it was too late.
AP Photo/Jeff Chiu
AP Photo/Jeff Chiu
Wallace initially grabbed Bentley and went back into her Honda, but was quickly stuck in traffic. Flames were getting closer.
“It was coming faster than I could leave in traffic, so I went back and got my bike,” she told KRON.
Wallace improvised, making a sidecar out of her duffel bag.
“So I grabbed my dog and I told him, ‘Hey man this is serious, you need to just sit in the bag.’ And he hopped right in,” she said.
Although her home is destroyed, Wallace is grateful. She told KTXL a man named Paul Johnson gave her and Bentley a ride the rest of the way in his truck.
Wallace has created a GoFundMe page for help finding getting new belongings and a place for her and Bentley to live.
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