They Call Us Los Angeles Wildfires

Jeff Yang and Phil Yu present an unfiltered conversation about what's happening in Asian America.

What's up, podcast listeners? We've got another episode of our podcast They Call Us Bruce. (Almost) each week, my good friend, writer/columnist Jeff Yang and I host an unfiltered conversation about what's happening in Asian America, with a strong focus on media, entertainment and popular culture.

In this episode, we welcome our friends, author/podcaster R Scott Okamoto and filmmaker/professor Renee Tajima-Pena, to share their reflections on the devastating wildfires that have ravaged parts of greater Los Angeles. Scott shares about the terrifying experience of evacuating from the approaching inferno, while Renee scrambled (and dodged road closures) to save her family's treasures and traditions. The discuss the profound loss for the history and community of Altadena and the incredible heart in Los Angeles's response to this moment.

Three Children, Grandmother Killed in Texas House Fire

The family had lost power and were using their fireplace to keep warm.



Three generations were trying to stay warm in the blackout. Then a fire erupted.
This is tragedy upon tragedy. Last week in Sugar Land, Texas, a 75-year-old woman and her three grandchildren were killed in a house fire. The victims, identified as 5-year-old Colette, 8-year-old Edison and 11-year-old Olivia Nguyen, and their grandmotehr Loan Le, were found dead in the home on Tuesday morning. Their neighborhood had been without power for about eight hours, the family had been using their fireplace to keep warm. An online fundraiser has been set up in memory of the children.

Two families die in fiery car crash as fathers watch in horror

Aaron Ng and Wei Xiong were severely injured trying to rescue their wives and children.



This is an awful, horrifying story out of California... This week, tragedy struck two families who were killed in a fiery car crash while two men could only helplessly watch as their wives and children burned to death.

Two families are ripped apart when children, mothers die in car fire on 5 Freeway near Gorman

Two Bay Area families were on route to a vacation in Southern California on Tuesday when a big rig struck their minivan on the 5 Freeway, sending it off the road where it caught fire. Two women and four children died.

The minivan had gotten into a minor accident with another car, and they pulled over to the shoulder to inspect the damage. That's when a semi-truck slammed into the back of the minivan, propelling it completely off the road. It tumbled down a steep embankment with all eight passengers inside.

The two fathers sitting in the front, 34-year-old Aaron Hon Wing Ng and 45-year-old Wei Xiong Li, jumped out of the two front doors as the car burst into flames and attempted to pry open the back doors, but they were stuck. Both men suffered serious burns to their arms while trying to rescue their loved ones.

Family of three killed in Flushing murder-suicide

Man fatally stabs wife and son before setting home on fire



Some tragic news out of New York, where a man fatally stabbed his wife and teenage son before setting their Flushing apartment on fire and slashing his own throat in a grisly murder-suicide.

In Queens, a Triple Killing Shows Signs of Financial Strife

Firefighters discovered the bodies of Lee Joon, his wife Lee Sung and their 15-year-old son Brian Lee in the living room of their sixth-floor apartment early Tuesday morning. Mr. Lee was found with a suicide note in his pocket, hand-written in Korean, complaining of "too many problems."

Those who knew Mr. Lee, who worked as a tractor-trailer driver, were aware that his family had been dealing with serious financial setbacks.

Arson-murder rap overturned, man set free after 24 years

Judge rules that the 1990 case against Han Tak Lee was based on now-discredited arson science.



Whoa. After spending the last 24 years in prison, convicted for setting the fire that killed his daughter, a man walks free. Last week in Pennsylvania, a federal judge overturned his 1990 murder-arson conviction, ruling that the case against him was based on now-discredited arson science.

Arson-Murder Rap Tossed, Han Tak Lee Set Free After 24 Years In Prison

79-year-old Han Tak Lee was released on bail Friday from the federal courthouse in Harrisburg. Lee was found guilty of purposely setting the 1989 cabin fire that killed his 20-year-old daughter Ji Yun Lee at a religious retreat in the Pocono Mountains. Prosecutor argued that the motive for murder was Ji Yun's severe depression, which had become too difficult for her family to handle.

Lee has consistently maintained his innocence over the last 25 years. Meanwhile, over the past two decades, there has been a revolution in fire science. Mr. Lee's case is one of dozens around the United States to come under scrutiny because of now-debunked beliefs about how arson can be detected.

Community rallies for victims of deadly apartment fire

Seven people -- including three young children -- killed in fatal blaze in Lowell, MA



This is a terrible story out of the Boston area... Last week in Lowell, seven people -- including three young children -- were killed in a deadly apartment fire that has devastated the local Cambodian community.

Lowell fire hits heart of Cambodian community

33-year-old Ellen Vuong and her boyfriend Torn Sak, and three of the couple's children, Anthony, 12, Ryan, 9, and Sayuri, 7, perished in the fire early morning Thursday when they became trapped in their third floor apartment. Two of their young children were able to make it out alive. Two unrelated adults, 38-year-old Tina Christakos and an unidentified 70-year-old man, died in an apartment on the other side of the building.

According to the Lowell Fire Department, the three-alarm blaze was an accidental electrical fire.

Over the weekend, hundreds of community members gathered for a memorial service and collected donations for the families of the victims:

Arsonist caught on video setting car on fire in driveway

Fire is the latest in a string of attacks targeting San Jose household



Who set this family's car on fire? This week in San Jose, a home security camera caught vandals lighting a family's car on fire. The arson is apparently only the latest incident in a string of attacks on this household.

Arsonist caught on camera setting car on fire

Early Tuesday morning, video surveillance captured two suspects pouring a flammable liquid on a car hood and lighting a fire that destroyed two automobiles, a 2008 Acura MDX and a 2013 Honda Civic, in the driveway of a home in East San Jose. Homeowner Vince Tran was able to put out the fire with a garden hose before it spread. Thankfully, nobody was hurt.

Here's the surveillance footage:

Chin Ho is not happy.

The Camaro is on fire.



This is for all my fellow Hawaii Five-0 fans. In honor of tonight's premiere of season four (now on Friday nights on CBS), here is a badass photo of Daniel Dae Kim and a burning car. That is all.

Berkeley appoints first Asian American fire chief in continental United States

Last week, Gil Dong was officially named chief of the Berkeley Fire Department, becoming the first Asian American fire chief in the continental United States: Berkeley appoints first Asian-American fire chief in continental U.S.

Dong, a 23-year fire veteran who first joined as a firefighter-paramedic in 1990 and has worked in every division of the department, has been serving as interim fire chief since last December. His appointment became official at last week's Berkeley City Council meeting.

In his new job, Dong will oversee 134 staff members while taking charge of a $34 million budget. He says his priorities will be training, emergency preparedness and maintaining infrastructure and equipment. And yes, it's about damn time we've had an Asian American fire chief:

Five killed in bachelorette party limo fire

Some horrifying news out of the Bay Area from over the weekend... Five people died when they were trapped inside a limousine that caught fire on Saturday night: Limo fire kills 5 on San Mateo Bridge.

Nine friends were celebrating a girls' night out -- a bachelorette party for Neriza Fojas -- when smoke and flames quickly engulfed the limousine while traveling over the San Mateo-Hayward Bridge. The driver and five passengers were able to escape, but five women were killed in the inferno, including Fojas.

Man arrested in deadly SoHo fire

Last week in New York, police arrested a man in connection with a deadly five-alarm fire in SoHo that killed one person and several others injured: After Deadly Fire, a Man Is Charged With Murder.

45-year-old Wei Chu Wu apparently started the fire inside a five-story apartment building after fighting with the mother of his child in a domestic dispute, then attempted to stop police officers -- breaking one cop's hand -- and firefighters who were trying to get in to save others in the building.

One tenant was found dead on the the third floor fire escape, her body burned beyond recognition: