2 UA students' homes destroyed by Calif. fires

The worst wildfires in California history have claimed the homes of two UA students, university officials said.

Brian Savitch, a journalism senior and former Wildcat sports writer, is one of two students who has lost his home, said Carol Thompson, senior associate dean of students.

Savitch is known among men's basketball fans as one of the Zona Zookeepers, fans known for leading cheers and painting themselves in UA colors at games. He is with his family in California, and told the Dean of Students Office he does not want to comment until he returns to the UA.

Officials declined to release the name of the other student.

The California wildfires, which began Oct. 25, have burned more than 3,400 homes to the ground, destroyed more than 750,000 acres and killed 20 people.

"It is a pretty traumatic thing to lose your home," Thompson said. "It is especially traumatic if you are here at the time."

With 2,900 UA students from California, Thompson said the Dean of Students Office realizes the wildfires are affecting many UA students.

Cindy Nixon, a communication senior, said being in Tucson while her parents are home in the middle of the California fires has been a struggle.

"I couldn't concentrate; I was constantly checking for updates," she said. "There was nothing I could do. I was here in Tucson."

Nixon said her family had to evacuate its home since it was directly in the line of fire.

"They packed up everything," Nixon said. "This was the house I grew up in. I lived there most of my life."

She said her parents had to evacuate quickly, and were in a scramble to fill up two cars with what they thought would be their only memories of a house and life they established in California.

Nixon's family home was one of the lucky ones to be spared by the fierce fire.

She said even though her home was unharmed, much of the area around it is ash.

Thompson said that, while the Dean of Students office has nothing officially planned to help students affected by the California fires, the office will work with each student individually.

"We are able to meet with each student," she said. "If they need to get home, we will arrange it with their professors."

It is important for anyone whose home was damaged to get in touch immediately with the American Red Cross and to seek counseling if they need it, Thompson said.

With the majority of evacuees now returning to their California homes to survey the damage, Thompson said the UA community should be supportive and understanding.

"It is important to help students get connected and to allow them to feel support," Thompson said.