"It was hellish. It was terrifying," says Thao Tran, who can be seen on surveillance video attempting to use a garden hose to put out a fast-moving fire outside his Hayward townhome early Sunday morning. In the video, you can hear him scream 'get out!' and his two-year-old baby crying as she is whisked away into a car to evacuate. Tran recounts how local residents were on the brink of disaster.
"That girl is one of the bravest girls I know. Another 10 minutes, if she didn't trust her gut instincts - this whole community would have been burnt. We would have been trapped," he says, reflecting on how his daughter Alyssa's quick thinking and courage helped avert a tragedy for their community.
"It has been a never-ending struggle just getting help," says Richard Brunkel. "We're seeing crime ramp up. We've had instances where people behind the wall are stealing our electricity. They're feeding extension cords over the wall. They're also doing that to our water," he continues, emphasizing the ongoing challenges faced due to the nearby homeless encampment.
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