KIRKWOOD, Calif. — A Kirkwood resident is turning to technology to keep an eye on her family cabin and to thank the first responders working to protect it.
Maureen Nandini Mitra’s family has owned the cabin off Kirkwood Meadows Drive for nearly 20 years. She lives full-time in Berkeley but frequently escapes with her family there, most recently over the Fourth of July weekend. The Caldor Fire now has them fearful of losing it.
“I’ve been dreading that something like this would happen and now it has,” Nandini Mitra said.
Kirkwood residents were evacuated and many are in the dark, left to wonder if they’ll have a house to come back to.
But Nandini Mitra’s front door cameras has given them a live look at the conditions and some peace of mind.
“We always talk about how technology is destroying us, but this is one time where technology has really been a boon,” she said. “It sends alerts whenever there’s movement in front of the house.”
That’s how she and her family noticed a team of firefighters out of Los Angeles County protecting their property.
“I was like 'Oh my god! I hope one of them comes by and we can try and talk to him.' And sure enough one of them walked over, and we were trying to scream through the camera!”
She finally caught one of the firefighter’s attention.
“We thanked him a lot and said, if you all need a place to rest, this is where the keys are hidden,” Nandini Mitra said.
ABC10 met the LA County firefighters seen on her cameras. More than a day after her virtual conversation, they were still there keeping an eye on her neighborhood.
Her cameras have also caught the attention of her neighbors. She posted about the interaction she had with first responders on Twitter and was surprised by how many comments her post received. Many of them were from others who live close by. The family cameras have now become a community service as she posts updates for them throughout the day.
“I’m getting to hear from neighbors who are probably up there the same time as we are but we never actually talk to each other or see each other,” Nandini Mitra said.
Nandini Mitra knows her neighborhood is not out of the woods yet, but she’s reassured by the 24-hour shifts fire crews are putting in. She hopes she gets a chance to thank them in person.
“They have a firefighters annual barbeque every year, and I am definitely going to be there next year,” she said.
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