There are more than 80 major wildfires burning across the western United States. In California, one family escaped the Borel fire, which continues to engulf large swaths of land.
SCOTT DETROW, HOST:
Right now, there are more than 80 major wildfires burning across the Western United States, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. That includes the Borel fire in Kern County, Calif. So far, that blaze has consumed nearly 60,000 acres, and it’s still only partially contained. But as firefighters make progress, evacuation orders are starting to lift for some affected residents. NPR’s Michael Levitt brings us one family’s story.
MICHAEL LEVITT, BYLINE: Nineteen-year-old Brendan Ryan lives with his grandfather Ron in the small town of Bodfish. He says when the Borel fire first broke out, he wasn’t too worried.
BRENDAN RYAN: Small fires have happened every so often. It’s not too big a deal. That kind of thing is actually moderately normal.
LEVITT: But as the fire’s path crept closer and closer, it was clear that things were becoming increasingly dangerous.
RYAN: We suddenly got hit with the warning, and then the order pretty much right away – happened back to back with barely any time to adapt.
LEVITT: Soon, they were placed under a mandatory evacuation order. The problem was, where could they evacuate to? They don’t have any family in the area, and hotels were either too far or couldn’t accommodate their pets.
RYAN: I’d been taking a look at a local Facebook page to just keep up with everything. Within that Facebook page, I was able to keep up with what was going on, and eventually, I saw Robbers Roost Ranch.
LEVITT: Ryan and his grandfather made their way to Robbers Roost Ranch, a small restaurant and mini-mart nestled along Highway 14. It’s not necessarily the first place someone might think to go for shelter, but as soon as co-owner Carlos Rivera learned that people were being displaced, he put the word out that evacuees were welcome.
CARLOS RIVERA: We immediately shut down our business and reconverted it for a place for the people affected in that immediate area to come and just have a place to get some relief and figure out what their next move is.
LEVITT: Rivera set out cots and beds in the restaurant’s dining room, pens for animals, provided meals and made the entirety of his store’s inventory available free of charge. Since the fire broke out, dozens of people have taken shelter at Robbers Roost Ranch, and Rivera was prepared to house as many people as needed.
RIVERA: It’s looking like we’re going to be here for a while. And we’ll keep this going as long as there’s a need, and we have room. And we don’t see running out of room any time soon.
LEVITT: And it seems that Riveras’ generosity was contagious. Other local businesses and community members have come by to donate any supplies they have on hand.
RIVERA: It’s just nonstop. The local businesses have come together, and our facility is stacked wall to wall with donations from the community.
LEVITT: For Brendan Ryan and his grandfather, the generosity they found at Robbers Roost Ranch was more than they could have hoped for.
RYAN: Just having all those people band together in the first place and bring what was necessary to somewhere that never asked for it but still had people that needed it was incredible.
RIVERA: The appreciation of these folks that were doing this makes it worthwhile.
LEVITT: Ryan told NPR that he and his grandfather have been able to return home. He’s keeping an eye on the fire’s path, but for now, he says things are feeling just a little bit more stable. Michael Levitt, NPR News.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)
Copyright © 2024 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.