Fire leaves two children dead, parents unaware

Slow to recover, couple not yet told of tragedy

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Kressa Jean Shepherd, a Ukiah High School junior who dreamed of becoming an artist, died here two days before Halloween.

On Oct. 9, she and her family were fleeing the Redwood Valley firestorm when they were trapped by the blaze on the mountain near their home. The fire killed 14-year-old Kai Shepherd and inflicted grievous injury on his parents and 17-year-old sister, Kressa.

Kressa had spent what can only be described as three harrowing, mostly unconscious weeks in the burn unit of Shriners Hospitals for Children before her brain swelled and then stopped.

There was nothing more to do but keep her breathing while her family said goodbye.

At her bedside, they told her how strong she was, how loved she was, then watched helplessly as her ravaged body slipped away.

Since the fire, Mindi Ramos, Kressa’s aunt, has spent most of her time tending to her niece and her sister, Sara Shepherd, 40, hospitalized across the street at the UC Davis Medical Center.

Sara was burned over 60 percent of her body and is making good progress.

The children’s father, Jon Shepherd, 46, is being treated in San Francisco at St. Francis Memorial Hospital.

Sara’s mother and father are staying nearby in the Ronald McDonald House but are not ready to speak publicly about the tragedy.

Both Jon and Sara have been sedated and unable to utter more than a few words while they recuperate. Neither has been told that their children have died, that their bodies are in a mortuary in Ukiah. The news will come soon enough.

Jon’s brothers have been keeping vigil with him in San Francisco, along with Robert Loucks, his best friend since they were both 15. Loucks has been driving frequently back and forth from Ukiah to be with Jon.

Twenty-three years ago, he and Jon started a business, Nor Cal Powder Coating. They still work together.

“Our families do a lot together,” said Loucks, who was at Jon’s bedside Thursday in San Francisco. Loucks’ son, Chase, 17, grew up with Kressa, and they were together in every grade. Three days before the fire, Loucks took the Shepherds sailing on San Francisco Bay.

“What’s really heartbreaking right now is we don’t know what he knows,” Loucks said. “He’s going to be waking up out of this dream and find out that he’s lost his family, and he is here and Sara is in Sacramento.”

In the past few days, Jon’s medical team has been working to “give him back his voice,” as Loucks put it. His breathing tube was removed Oct. 27, replaced by a tracheostomy. A respiratory therapist plugged Jon’s tracheostomy, which allowed him to speak for the first time since the fire.

At the therapist’s request, Jon was able to say his friend’s name. But when the therapist asked, “Can you say my name?” Jon, still on painkillers, replied, “Kiss my ass.”

“His personality is still there,” Loucks said. “He’s a very strongwilled guy.”

The family is hoping Jon can be reunited with Sara in Sacramento by the end of next week. They think it’s critical for the couple, who have been together for 25 years, to be with each other as they deal with their children’s deaths.

Robin Abcarian Los Angeles Times Mindi Ramos, sister of Sara Shepherd, and the aunt of Kressa and Kai Shepherd, at the UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento, Calif., where her sister is being treated in the burn unit.