Whew! The weekend fires were as close a call as this community’s
had to a major tragedy since I came here 23 years ago as a
journeyman editor.
The firefighters did an awesome job bobbing and weaving their
way through the traffic and driveways on Day Road Saturday night to
find the rights spots to make a stand, and, quite frankly, we were
lucky. A shift in the wind from here to there, and most certainly
some homes would have been lost. Credit, too, many homeowners, who
took fire prevention seriously by clearing wide swaths around their
homes. Kudos too for all the people with horses who recognized the
dilemma and drove out with horse trailers in tow to aid the tense
and chaotic evacuation. Anyone who witnessed Saturday night clearly
understands the meaning of the word firestorm.
Whew! The weekend fires were as close a call as this community’s had to a major tragedy since I came here 23 years ago as a journeyman editor.
The firefighters did an awesome job bobbing and weaving their way through the traffic and driveways on Day Road Saturday night to find the rights spots to make a stand, and, quite frankly, we were lucky. A shift in the wind from here to there, and most certainly some homes would have been lost. Credit, too, many homeowners, who took fire prevention seriously by clearing wide swaths around their homes. Kudos too for all the people with horses who recognized the dilemma and drove out with horse trailers in tow to aid the tense and chaotic evacuation. Anyone who witnessed Saturday night clearly understands the meaning of the word firestorm.
And indeed there were too many witnesses … Giving a nod to natural curiosity, it’s understandable that people want to see what’s going on – even more so for those who live in the area anxious to gauge how imminent the threat is. But there were goons who parked in driveways, stopped in the middle of the road and tried to flip u-turns on twisty Day Road. They made life miserable for emergency responders, when a few minutes can make a huge difference. Hindsight is 20-20, but a suggestion would be to have police officers clear the streets with bullhorns and the threat of tickets for impeding an emergency operation.
Last fire comment … I’d like to thank all the kind readers who called and sent e-mails praising us for the rock-solid fire coverage on the Web, (and all those who sent in the great photos). The team here hustled all weekend to keep concerned readers up to speed, and believe me the feedback is much appreciated. BTW, if you haven’t signed up for our breaking news e-mails, it’s easy, just go to web poll to see what the real deal is …
In the genuine good guy department, Al Navaroli, who passed away last week, ranked high in the rafters. Al had a twinkle in his eye and a quick wit. You knew from his warm smile he enjoyed life and people. He faithfully promoted his love of music by working to get the word out about South Valley Symphony events for years. One Sunday, he passed me the bulletin as I was exiting church and asked my wife, “Can he really read?” It started our repartee … My thanks to Joe Thompson for the reminder that in his salad days, Al, while working for Bud Antle, Inc. in Salinas, convinced the boss to purchase a fleet of 500 refrigerated trailers. The BUDZ fleet, designed for truck transport to rail lines, represented the innovative “Salad Bowl Express” taking lettuce to New York in a week. We’ll miss you, Al.
