Santa Rosa fires

[66andBlue]

Let us hope that Larry "lurtch" and Art "1979speedster" are not in the danger zone and in a safe place!
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-napa-fires-20171009-story.html

[66andBlue]

Good news, they dodged a bullet.
Larry is in a temporary shelter and OK and so is apparently his house, and Art is at home and OK but surrounded by burned houses.

[Garry]

I have been to Art’s home which was on a normal residential street and if there are burning houses around then it really has come into the suburbs and a major disaster.

[66andBlue]

Garry, it is a major disaster! And now the winds are picking up again and so do the fires.
Two years ago Art and Larry took me to the Pat Matthews vintage car and truck collection in Glen Ellen.
It is not clear whether it was saved or how much damage was done. His 300SLs are displayed in a separate museum in Napa so hopefully those are safe.
https://www.mbca.org/node/7307306

[Garry]

Wow, that is like the fire of London of 1666!!! Can see why they said a major disaster.


Coming into the suburbs like that is very very rare here when we  get the summer bush fires. That is major, I suspect to big and fast that the local brigades could not cope with that level of fire at all.


I have not been reading the newspapers as I have had enough of the politics of the world (USA) at the moment.

[kampala]

Alfred,

Thanks for posting.  I have been following this fire as it's really crazy and was thinking about Art & Larry.  Especially as we just saw Art at PUB a few weeks ago and he's already had one insane year and now this.

Hopefully they will get more control over this fire very soon.   

[Rolf-Dieter ✝︎]

We see the devastation on TV up here in Canada, it is unbelievable the missary and hardship Mother Nature I'd dishing out as of late, this year has been exceptionally dishardening.

Let us hope and pray it stays well clear of Pat Matthews home, garage(s) and shop... he worked too hard to lose many of his treasures and deserves to enjoy them in his golden years.

I found a map that shows the fires as of this date, however, with shifting of the wind no one knows how far it will spread or when it will be contained.

Thanks for the great article about  Pat Matthews and for posting this thread Alfred and do keep us posted. Be safe.

Dieter

[Zum 230SL]

Alfred,

I know both Larry and Art from 10 years ago when I was driving my car more.  I'm about 100 miles south of Santa Rosa.  I'll send you a PM with my contact info, can you please forward it to them and let them know I'll do what I can to help?

Thanks,

[UJJ]

Just moved to Woodland CA. which is about 15 mi. (24km) West of Sacramento. I was in contact with Larry (Lurtch) about 4 weeks ago, talking of taking trips together in the wine country.
How sad all this is. If you have ever been there you know how beautiful this area is, and now that!
Fortunately the fire has not reached my area (yet), however, just to think about 24 people lost their lives and about 400 missing makes me feel helpless and sad. Thinking of Larry and hope he is ok?
Unbelievable catastrophic event.

Urban

[49er]

 With all the horrific hurricanes, tornadoes and flooding in the south east and Puerto Rico and now California is certainly being hit hard right now with the deadliest fire in the state's history. My wife and I were planning this past weekend to drive over to Sonoma Tuesday for lunch and enjoy this beautiful part of our state. Our plans changed Sunday night as it did for thousands of others as these devastating fires tore through so many neighborhoods. The fires are still burning with more high winds expected this evening. Here in the foothills on the eastern side of the Sacramento Valley where we live, there have had fires to the north and south but thankfully, none too close to us. The rains can not come soon enough. I certainly hope that all our members whose neighborhoods have been affected not only here in CA but elsewhere in the US are OK. BTW Alfred, it was announced a short time ago this AM, that the town of Glen Ellen is now under mandatory evacuation orders. 

John

[Rolf-Dieter ✝︎]

Alfred,

do you know if Pat Matthews was able to move some of his cars out of the danger zone? Attached is a report from last Wednesday of a home burning to the ground in his town.

Dieter

[66andBlue]

Dieter,
I have no information and Art sent me an email yesterday that he does not know either.
Administratively the Matthews property is in Glen Ellen but it is really located quite some distance away in the mountains. So it might take some time until we learn more.
Perhaps our member Richard Simonds, who co-authored the Star article, might know more. I'll send him a message and ask.

[Rolf-Dieter ✝︎]

Alfred,

Looks like Pat is 17 Miles East of Santa Rosa and only 4.7 Miles east of Glen Ellen. I hope he found enough drivers to move his treasures to safety.

BTW. I found my Pagoda in a similar garage that Phil has, only the previous owner had 18 American cars from the 50s and 60s in his garage, my Pagoda was the only other car in the garage (when I found it back in 2013).

What a sad situation it is for everyone affected in California (I love that area and have traveled thru the area twice, once in the 90s and last in 2011). I cannot comprihand having to leave my home in 5 minutes and then returning to a pile of ashes. Let us hope the winds die down so the fire can be controlled and further lives and property loss can be avoided.

Dieter

Edit, removed attachments and some other details that are not appropriate.

[66andBlue]

Richard Simonds just send me this bit of news (thank you Richard!):

"Alfred and all,
As of Thursday morning, Patti Matthews reported that the Fire Marshall had inspected their property and reported that their home was totally destroyed, but that the garages were intact. The glass had not blown out and the garages had not burned. However, that was on Thursday (12 October 2017) and the fires are still raging and not under control. So...we won't know for a while. Pat and Patti are not allowed to see their Glen Ellen home (their road is listed as CLOSED to all but emergency vehicles). They are living in Pacifica near where they built the Devil's Slide Brewery for their children. They are safe but "shell-shocked" (to quote a mutual friend).

On a separate note, the 300SL Club discontinued their "museum" in the Napa area a few years ago, so all of the 300SLs that were in it are back with their owners -- including the Matthews' Gull Wing and Roadster."

[UJJ]

I heard from Larry (Lurtch)
he and his family are staying with friends out of harms way, so they are ok.
Report says that his house and Pagoda are not effected by the fire yet.
His words: Once the evacuation is lifted he'll return to Santa Rosa or "what's left of it"
So sad, Urban