Lake County >> As fire crews pour into Lake County from across the state — and nation — to battle the Rocky Fire, emergency personnel and civilians alike have taken to local businesses to purchase food and supplies for themselves and others.
“I had a lady come in and clean me out of a certain kind of toothpaste and drop it off at one of the [evacuation] centers,” said Victoria Silva, a merchandiser at Kmart in Lakeport.
Kmart in particular has experienced a large increase in shoppers coming to the aisles. Bottled water is flying off the shelves. Firefighters often leave the store with eye drops, antihistamine and poison oak soap. Community members buy large numbers of toiletry items such as shampoo and conditioner, toothbrushes as well as clothing and packs of underwear, “because that’s kind of stuff you leave your house without and you don’t think about,” Silva commented.
“We’ve been shopped pretty hard,” Silva added.
But Kmart isn’t celebrating their increased sales. “It’s not good,” she continued. “Everyone in here hopes the fire ends quickly. We’re just glad we can be in here and provide the services that are needed.”
Fortunately the money for these items isn’t necessarily coming from the pockets of the firefighters. According to a firefighter from San Diego, the Rocky Fire is what’s called a campaign fire and everything crews need is provided to them. When a firefighter steps into the fire’s command center, they’ll find a fully-stocked kitchen provided by Cal Fire, medical tents and even barbers. “We go to so many fires, we already have our system in place,” he said.
Yes, there are some out-of-pocket items. Should the fire crews need a large order of food or pallets of bottled water, Cal Fire acquires those from local businesses. After 48 hours without a bed, the state will put a firefighter up in a hotel, if available. With so many crews making their way to Lake County, local hotels are running out of rooms and the San Diegan firefighter had to leave the county Saturday night for the Fairfield Inn in Ukiah.
“There’s definitely a huge impact to the local economy,” he continued. “It’s typically pretty good to the immediate local area.”
Lakeport’s Grocery Outlet, on the other hand, hasn’t received more business than usual. According to store manager Courtney Steele, the beginning of the month is always a busy time and August has been no exception. However, she has seen a few firefighters stopping in to grab a bite to eat. When this happens, the store does what it can to help. All firefighters receive $3 off at checkout.
Steele has also directly witnessed the community’s strong show of support for the crews working tirelessly against the fire. “I saw a customer today walk up to one of the firemen, shake his hand and thank him,” she recalled.
On Friday night, Lakeport’s Cheese’s Pizza posted a reminder to their Facebook page that they’re open until 3 a.m. and firefighters could stop by for food after battling the fire. Owner Tim Barnes said the restaurant has seen a significant increase in pizza sales. “Any time there’s a big fire up here we get quite as bit of business from the fire department,” he said. “They come in 40, 50 people at a time.”
Restaurants around the base camps and near hotels have been crowded with crew members. O’Meara Bros. Brewing Company in Lakeport reported the best few days of traffic through their doors since the restaurant’s grand opening.
However, business at Shoreline Coffee Shop in Lakeport hasn’t jumped as much. Owner Yolanda Butista suspects it’s because the emergency crews are unaware of the shop, so she’s printed fliers to hang at the Rocky Fire command center at the Lake County Fairgrounds on Martin Street in Lakeport. “I will be here early or late if they’re [the firefighters] going to come late,” she said. “If they come five, ten minute before we close, I’m going to stay open for them, no mater what. I really appreciate they’re here.”
While the numerous fire crews pouring into the county may mean economic benefits for local businesses, concerns surrounding the blaze overshadow the profits. “We’re very sorry that the fire is going on but very happy that we can provide services for the firefighters and the evacuees,” said Kmart manager Sheryl Crockett. “It is a devastating time right now … My heart just goes out to everybody that is going through this. We have so much support from so many different districts. Just driving through Highway 29, seeing all the fire trucks … we do have a great, great support team out there right now.”
Jennifer Gruenke can be reached at 900-2019.
