Placer County fire causes total loss of residence for aged-out foster youth

Patrick Seymour, dozing in a Newcastle home, awoke to flames crawling up the outside walls. He rushed to evacuate everyone inside but not before windows exploded and fire alarms started to ring.

The home, a total loss after the fire, served as a site sheltering aged-out foster youth under a Rocklin-based nonprofit Compassion Planet.

On Tuesday, Compassion Planet’s co-founder and executive director Scott Flanagan recalled Seymour’s experience while surveying damage. A heirloom belonging to former foster youth — a connection to his family — was likely destroyed. A husk of a burned car used by another program recipient sat in the home’s front yard.

Flanagan received a call about 12:02 a.m. Friday from another worker telling him of the fire. He drove to the location and felt relief as he realized everyone was safe. He recalled one resident who appeared to be in a complete fog, while another just sought a long embrace after escaping.

“Your mind goes to that bad place,” he said, before beginning to pray.

Now, four foster youth have lost everything, and must start all over, he said.

“This was a devastating fire,” Flanagan said.

A spokesperson for Cal Fire, who responded to the incident, said the investigation into the cause of the fire is ongoing as of Tuesday.

Flanagan co-founded nonprofit Compassion Planet in 2013 with his wife to help foster youth who have aged out of the system, typically those 18 and older. Every person receives a job as a paid intern in their program, and learn what career fields they prefer. The participants also receive therapy, he said.

The aged-out foster youth population is among the most vulnerable pockets of people. After turning 18, 20% of teens in the system will become homeless. They often do not have generational wealth to rely upon. Just 50% of former foster youth are employed by 24, though 75% of their peers have jobs, according to the National Foster Youth Institute.

Compassion Planet offers program participants jobs in its two thrift stores, a restaurant and a home boutique store. The foster youth work at these places and learn real-life skills, Flanagan said.

The site which burned down, Compassion Ranch, is a training center where those in the nonprofit can learn home projects. They pay reduced rent and learn skills necessary to have a home, he said.

The nonprofit is funded through from grants, donations and from the program’s businesses, where participants work.

Visit compassionplanet.org to donate to replace items for the youth.