Volunteers hold the fire line in Mendocino County
Nice story today in the N.Y. Times about how the people of Mendocino County have stepped up since June, when lightning-laced storms set fire to the parched landscape:
When the lightning fires struck in June, [Charlie] Acker said, “The entire governmental system broke down; we had to rely on ourselves and our neighbors.”
Residents ran tabs at local stations to pay for gasoline for fire engines. Merchants placed tall jars on counters seeking contributions. A restaurateur offered firefighters free meals.
The owner of a hardware store refused payment from volunteer firefighters for crucial supplies. When a local radio station called for money to help defray firefighting costs, people descended on the Redwood Drive-In, known for its malts, shakes and curly fries, and donated more than $4,000.
Landscapers whacked and carted away brush around houses free of charge. A caterer fed 150 volunteer firefighters daily. One market delivered submarine sandwiches to the weary workers, while residents baked gooey cakes and made quinoa salads. A fire chief’s wife grilled steak fajitas for a crew of inmates. Another woman delivered tinctures and balms to firefighters to soothe sore muscles and dry throats. On a map in the Boonville firehouse, a sign offered free massages.
Think they'll be thrilled the reporter characterized their hometowns as famous for their "prized grapevines and pungent marijuana plants"? Read the full story here.
--Veronique de Turenne
Photo: Inky on Flickr via Creative Commons
