I’ve checked in with a few companies that could be impacted by the Southern California fires. Here’s what I’ve found out:
Reef, Carlsbad – Reef offices are closed because of the San Diego fires. The company’s headquarters are near Palomar airport, said Lora Bodmer, Reef’s outside public relations representative based in Wyoming.
Here’s an update from Tandi South, Reef Girls national sales manager: “Such a bummer here – the smoke and the ashes are horrible and a lot of Reef employees have had to evacuate their homes. We will keep you posted.”
Approximately 300,000 San Diego County residents are under evacuation orders. It will be a long time before San Diego gets back to normal.
Oakley, Foothill Ranch – Here’s the report from Lance Allega, director of investor relations/corporate communications:
“The (Santiago) fire is definitely close to us but we’re safe here at Oakley. The fires burned all the hills above Foothill Ranch and Portola Hills over night. Directly across Glenn Ranch Street (north side of Oakley), the lower part of Whiting Ranch is burning at a good clip right now – basically 1/3 mile from our building. Tons of smoke and we can see flames from our windows. Our property is watered down, our building is made of cement and has a fire-retardant roof, and of course have the wide, wide fire break of Glenn Ranch Road, so we feel we’re as set as we can be. I don’t envision any dangerous situations at this point, however, we’re prepared to evacuate if we are told to, although that doesn’t seem like a possibility.”
L*Space, Lake Forest – From Preston Wilson:
“We actually opted for a voluntary evacuation yesterday. We sit right on the 241 Toll Rd at the end of Bake Parkway. We are back in today although it is very smokey and we are watching the fire still out of control on the hills in back of Oakley.
“This is a true tragedy. Almost more for the displaced animals that are trying to flee…Our thoughts and prayers are with those that suffer from this.”
Sole Technology, Lake Forest – Sent yesterday by Brenda Springer:
“We are making our decisions based on the recommendation from the Orange County Fire Authority as to immediate threats to the area. At this time, the Sole Technology headquarters are not in danger. It’s business as usual for us. We have been assured that each of our buildings are equipped with air conditioners that function by using recycled air with no outside air being taken, this has helped to keep the smoke out of the buildings for comfort for employees.
“Our smoke detectors are throughout all of our ducts and if there becomes a sudden issue, the premises will be evacuated…We are doing a special systems back up earlier than normal today just in case, it’s pretty close and IT just wants to be careful with everything.”
Mikke Pierson, co-owner ZJ Boarding House. He lives in Paradise Cove in Malibu:
Winds have really dropped the last 2 hours and looks like fires are much more under control…We are okay, but have had some sleepless nights. (See Mikke’s photos from his home above).
