Online fundraisers help Chinese Camp fire victims. One had fled war in Cambodia
Polina Ken fled the killing fields of Cambodia and eventually made her home in Chinese Camp. She now has lost it to a wildfire.
GoFundMe accounts were launched for Ken and other victims of the blaze, which stood at 7,037 acres as of Friday, Sept. 5.
It is part of the TCU September Lightning Complex, burning 13,996 acres in four counties since Tuesday. The strikes lit up grass, brush and trees that have had little rain since spring.
Containtment was at 57% on Sunday, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. The acreage is mostly in Tuolumne and Calaveras counties, along small parts of Stanislaus and San Joaquin counties.
Cal Fire reported 85 structures destroyed as of Friday. They include homes, barns and other buildings. Teams still are assessing the damage.
The devastation was stark in the GoFundMe pages for Chinese Camp. Exact addresses were not available.
‘The long road toward rebuilding’
Ken’s family said she fled Cambodia in the 1970s, amid the violence of the Pol Pot regime. She has lived in Chinese Camp for 14 years and is staying for now at a hotel.
“We are grateful that she and her dog, Waldo, are safe,” niece Jennifer Ken said in the appeal, “but the fire took not only her home but also her belongings, memories and sense of security. She is currently displaced and in urgent need of support for essentials such as clothing, food, shelter and eventually the long road toward rebuilding.”
Chinese Camp was named for the gold miners from China who settled there in 1849. It peaked at about 6,500 people in the 1870s, including Americans and Europeans who had joined the Gold Rush.
Only 61 people were counted in the last census. Few of the old buildings remained even before the fire. Details on the damage have not been reported.
‘Nothing but the clothes on their backs’
Rob Owens and his wife, Rochelle, lost their home, daughter Brooke Long of Sacramento wrote on GoFundMe. The blaze also ruined the tools and heavy equipment Rob needs for his job.
“It truly left them with nothing but the clothes on their backs,” Long said. “Even more heartbreaking, years of memories, our childhood photos, keepsakes and the treasures my dad had saved since he was a kid are now gone forever.”
Donors can arrange through GoFundMe to give tools as well as money. “This loss has been overwhelming,” Long said, “but we know community and kindness can make all the difference.”
The Modesto Bee reported Wednesday on the GoFundMe account for Peter Tomaino and his partner, Cindy. They also had lived in Chinese Camp.
“Thankfully, they and their dogs made it out safely,” organizer Veronica Amaral wrote, “but they are now facing the unimaginable challenge of starting over from scratch.”
This story was originally published September 5, 2025 at 5:12 PM with the headline "Online fundraisers help Chinese Camp fire victims. One had fled war in Cambodia."
