Nathan Dehart / Via Facebook: lakecountyrising
Like many Northern California residents, Stuart Mast spent much of the last week feeling utterly terrified. As the enormous Butte Fire tore bore down on Brice Station, the small winery he owns in the town of Murphys, Mast watched with dread as the blaze inched closer and closer to the farmland on which he has built his livelihood.
“It was a roller coaster ride,” he told BuzzFeed News, of his frantic efforts to clear brush in the hope of saving his winery.
The blaze came within a mile and a half of Brice Station, but the vineyard was ultimately spared.
Many others, however, were not so lucky.
Since it began on Sept. 9, the Butte Fire has killed two people, destroyed 545 residences and 356 outbuildings, and burned over 70,000 acres of land in the Sierra Nevada foothills southeast of Sacramento.
But the blaze was just one of two enormous fires to strike parts of California’s wine country this month: As the Butte Fire was destroying acres in the east, to the west the Valley Fire was bringing more destruction to Lake, Napa, and Sonoma counties, which lie closer to San Francisco.
The Valley Fire has been even more destructive, leveling 1,050 structures, killing three people, and injuring four firefighters. Many communities have been completely devastated.
“The reality is these towns were badly, badly hit,” Peter Molnar, a partner and general manager of Obsidian Ridge, a winery in Sonoma, told BuzzFeed News. “It’s not just some houses, it’s also community centers and the infrastructure that makes a town a town.”
When tragedy strikes a community, local businesses often band together to rebuild and support one another. But with many of the townships hit by the Butte and Valley fires centered around the wine business, local vineyards see themselves as uniquely positioned to help inject life and hope back into their communities.
“For those of us who were lucky enough to not lose a home in the fire, you feel compelled [to help],” Linda Glover of Cache Creek Vineyards in Lake County told BuzzFeed News.
For many vineyard owners and managers in Lake County, their desire to help is personal. Although many vineyards escaped the Valley Fire without damage, the blaze has affected their employees, friends, neighbors, and customers.
“A lot of the county is just in shock about what happened,” Molnar said.
Molnar said that after his vineyard resumed operations once the fire passed he noticed one of his workers, Blanca, wearing stylish shoes instead of her normal work boots. When he quizzed her on her shoe choice, Blanca said the pair was all she with her when she was forced to evacuate her home, which was ultimately spared from the flames.
Homes in Middletown, Lake County, destroyed by fire.
Brian Skoloff / AP
Last week, three major wine associations in Lake County announced they were pooling their resources to launch a relief drive for Valley Fire victims, which they are calling #LakeCountyRising.
The group said they plan to “work with local organizations and government agencies to identify the most pressing community needs."
“When tragedies strike, our community comes together,” said Rep. Mike Thompson, who represents a large part of California's wine country. “This is one of the worst fires in California’s history, but it’s shown the absolute best of Lake County.”
Molnar said that the vineyards involved in the effort are working to collect donations, and the group is spreading awareness on its Facebook page. While they're still in the early stages of planning, their future efforts might include donating a portion of the proceeds from bottles sold. They are also plans for a charity wine auction at the end of the year.
Vineyards involved in the effort are also organizing their own fundraisers. Glover said her vineyard is hosting a benefit concert in October to raise money for the fire victims. The vineyard is also accepting donations in its tasting room as customers sample local blends.
“We are thinking big and want to have standing room only at this fundraiser. Let's stand together for our community,” the vineyard wrote on its Facebook page.
Mast has been able to raise money at his vineyard, as well on his own. A previously scheduled "Harvest Fest" at his vineyard evolved into a fundraising event, which he estimates brought in more than $4,000.
“We’re in the position where we can share our property to be a gathering place for everyone,” he said.
Many of those who came, particularly those who had lost their homes, found the event to be cathartic, he said.
“They said this was the first very positive thing they have seen since they lost their home,” Mast said.
LINK: The Two Enormous California Wildfires Have Now Destroyed Almost 1,500 Homes
from BuzzFeed - USNews http://ift.tt/1NPCQan
No comments:
Post a Comment