Marion Kimble
What would you do if everything you valued was lost in a matter of hours? For Pierce College special services counselor Leslee Cook, 55, and her faithful cat Karuna, this nightmare has become a reality. Before the sun rose on Nov. 24, a raging fire would decimate her home and everything she held dear.
Her the home was filled with souvenirs and relics from the 25 countries she has visited.
“I had pictures from Rome and Greece, as well as crystals from around the world,” said Cook.
The Corral Canyon wildfire-ravaged Malibu last month, burning 4,700 acres, demanding the attention of around 1,750 firefighters, destroying more than 49 homes, damaging 27 residences and leaving Cook codling Karuna in a place certainly not akin to home.
The American Red Cross provided Cook with temporary hotel accommodations. While grateful, she admits it isn’t the most desirable of situations.
“How would you like to live in a hotel?” said Cook in a fairly matter-of-fact tone as she shuffled through her paperwork. “It puts a roof over my head.”
Cook was forced to evacuate her home before 4 a.m. on Nov. 24 to escape fast-encroaching flames engulfing the area.
Since 3:30 a.m., when the fire began, firefighters were working hard to quell what is being called the city’s most destructive fire in 15 years.
“I got out in a nick of time with my cat, family photos, a couple of pairs of pants and my life,” said Cook, Special Services counselor and Pierce faculty member for nearly 29 years, who lost everything she couldn’t carry when the Malibu fire claimed her home.
, Cook slowly drove away as she added one more problem to a list of misfortune. Originally on the schedule for the day was a trip to the local mechanic to work out a major issue with her only car.
To make matters worse, she only had minimal renters insurance. The inability of the firefighters to save her home meant little would be replaced.
“They had done everything they could do,” said Cook. “When winds are blowing fire like a blow torch, with that blue flame at the end, there isn’t much anyone can do.”
The outpouring of help and support from her friends, family and colleagues has turned a positive light on a dismal situation.
“I’ve been offered clothing, food, shelter; everyone wants to help,” said Cook. “But I can’t take anything while I’m in a hotel.”
To coordinate the overwhelming support offered to Cook, Robert Garber, Pierce College president, set up what he refers to as a “taking care of our own fund” through the Foundation for Pierce College.
A friend of Cook’s since the late 1970s, Garber was the first to make a donation.
“We used to be next-door neighbors,” said Garber. “We would carpool to Pierce when we were youngsters here.”
An environmental activist since the 1970s, Cook’s classic concern with green goes on.
“I don’t see how people can’t be involved with the environment,” said Cook as she contemplated throwing a plastic bottle into her office trash can. “I don’t know how long I’ll have a roof over my head and I still can’t throw anything away.” Businesses and homeowners need to look at the future otherwise, we won’t have one at our current environmental state. Is it really hard to sign up for a rubbish collection in Sydney or Dallas, TX – depending on your location? Nope. It’s not hard whatsoever.
Unclear on where to go from here, Cook has decided not to return to Malibu.
“I’m too old to start over again,” said Cook.
She hopes to leave the fight for the environment in the hands of the next generation.
“I put in 30 years trying. It’s time for someone else to take over,” she said.
In a case where winds are blowing in strong gust and there is very low humidity, officials agree not much can be done should a fire start. Cook couldn’t offer much advice, but did suggest everyone should “have a checklist so you don’t have to think about it at four in the morning.”
The kindness and love she has received keeps her moving despite her loss.
“I feel so taken care of,” she said. “I would like to thank the whole Pierce community from the bottom of my heart.”
Phil Stein, department chair of anthropology, simply said “it just comes natural. She’s like family; we stick together.”
Pierce College counselor Leslee Cook, 55, and her cat Karuna lost their home in the recent Malibu fire. ()
Pierce College counselor Leslee Cook, 55, picks at the remains of her bathroom. The remains consist of newspapers, melted jewelry and crystal. Her house burned down during last month’s wildfires in Malibu and she now lives at the Extended Stay America, a hotel near the campus, with her cat, Karuna. ()