[DeTomaso] Nor-Cal Pantera fire update :<(

[Larry-Ohio Time Corp]

Mike,

 I too have been worried with all the reports on the news about the fires. I
know they are only things, but they are also a lifetime of memories attached
to that stuff too.

Few things as devastating in life as this.

God Bless the residents and all of the first responders helping out.

Larry (Homolak) - Cleveland

-----Original Message-----
From: DeTomaso [mailto:detomaso-bounces at server.detomasolist.com] On Behalf
Of Mike Drew via DeTomaso
Sent: Wednesday, October 11, 2017 1:08 PM
To: detomaso at server.detomasolist.com
Subject: [DeTomaso] Nor-Cal Pantera fire update :<(

All,

I've received a number of inquiries from European owners concerned about 
the massive wildfires burning relatively near my house, so I thought I'd
give 
an update to everyone.

The attached map shows the burned areas.   My house is indicated by the 
blue dot in the center right area of the map; we are about 12 miles east
from 
the nearest fire, and the winds have shifted from north to south so the fire

is burning away from us.

There are numerous PCNC members living in the region who have been affected 
to various degrees.   Mike Russo is a new owner, and his house was smack in 
the middle of the large fire region north of Santa Rosa (on the left side 
of the map).   We just spoke with him; somehow he missed the first 
notifications and he was awakened at 5:00 a.m. Monday morning and had
literally only 
one minute to get out.   His power was out so he wasn't able to normally
open 
his garage door, so they jumped in the cars parked in the street and raced 
away.   Their home, and all their nice cars including their beautiful 
big-block Pantera, were reduced to ashes. :<(

Just to the southwest, there are two medium-sized fires with a round fire 
symbol pictured in between them on the map.   Another new owner, Tom
Leonard, 
lives right in between those two fires on the road that runs directly 
north-south, outside the town of Glen Ellen.   Many of you met him at the 
Monterey POCA Fun Rally, as he was driving his Ford GT instead of his
Pantera. He 
was awakened at 5:00 a.m. Monday morning and ordered to evacuate
immediately. 
  He and his wife took the Ford GT and their pickup truck and fled to 
Petaluma, not all that far away but well away from the danger.   They then
went 
back in the pickup to retrieve the Pantera, but the authorities prevented 
them from returning.   We have been watching the fire maps constantly, and
it 
seems as though the 'bulge' on the western edge of the fire on the east side

of the road is approaching his house.   His road is in a small valley and 
his house is on the hillside on the eastern side of the road; there is a
steep 
hill with a mansion at the top of it behind his house, and the fire is just 
on the other side of the hill, on the eastern slope, a few hundred yards 
from the mansion, which is a few hundred yards from his home.   The fires
are 
generally moving south so it seems at least possible that his home will be 
spared and his Pantera will survive, but that is FAR from certain.

Chuck and Lori Banks live near the large grassy area on the eastern side of 
Santa Rosa; they are about equidistant between two fires, a mile or so away 
in either direction.   Last time I spoke with him, he had backed his 
Pantera out and was poised to make a getaway, and was hosing down his
property 
with his garden hose.

Ron Southern lives on the west side of Sonoma, near Hwy 116, and appears to 
be relatively safe, but he's not answering his phone, although he did post 
about Tom on the PI forum yesterday.

Mike and Nancy Haney live in Napa on the west side of Hwy 29.   They have a 
large fire on the hill behind them a few miles away, but it seems to be 
moving south so they are probably safe for now.   I don't know if they have 
evacuated, and if so, if they took their Pantera (although as it is their
only 
collector car, I would certainly hope they would do so).

Our thoughts go out to all these people, but especially to Mike Russo who 
literally lost everything he owned in the blink of an eye.:<(

Mike