Woolsey Fire: Sifting Ashes

After the Woolsey Fire ignited in the Santa Susana Mountains above Simi Valley, Ken Fasola nervously watched the local news coverage of the blaze as it raced toward his wine bar in Agoura Hills. Once the flames jumped the 101 freeway, he feared his business was squarely in the fire’s path. “We had someone drive through and send a picture the next day,” Fasola said. “I knew right away that it was gone — there’s nothing left.” Fasola opened SIP Malibu Grapes at 2598 Sierra Creek Road around three years ago, and it quickly become a favorite hangout in Malibu’s wine country. “We’re a local, community wine bar,” he said. “A little bit like ‘Cheers.’” SIP is among hundreds of businesses in Ventura and western Los Angeles counties impacted by the Woolsey and Hill Fires. Some, including Malibu Wines in the Malibu Hills, Kristy’s Roadhouse on Pacific Coast Highway, Calabasas Car Care on Las Virgenes Road and the Paramount Movie Ranch in Malibu Creek State Park have been destroyed or suffered serious property damage. Many others were forced to evacuate and cease operations for days. And even with the two blazes nearly extinguished, business may still feel their effects during the crucial holiday season. At press time, the Woolsey Fire had burned 98,300 acres and was nearly 70 percent contained, while the Hill Fire had consumed 4,531 acres and was 100 percent contained. Lasting repercussions Linda Coburn, owner of electric bike store Pedego 101, said flames came within 500 yards of her shop in the Westlake Village Industrial Park. The entire complex at 31304 Via Colinas was put under mandatory evacuation. Coburn had to close the store over the weekend before authorities declared it safe to return. “We lost three days of business during November, which is a busy month for us usually,” she said. In addition to the lost revenue, Coburn expects the fire to have longer-term repercussions for her business. Rentals have been slow since re-opening and some large groups have cancelled guided tours because of the poor air quality. She fears the slowdown may extend through the end of the year. “People are not in a frame of mind to be thinking about leisure activities,” she said. Coburn added that Pedego will likely have to find new tour routes now that so much of Malibu Creek State Park has been burned. But to lift spirits, the shop is planning a group ride the day after Thanksgiving. “Our customer base is like friends and family,” she said. “It’s important for us to get together and let everyone know it’s OK.” To aid businesses impacted by the fires, the Economic Development Collaborative Ventura County has opened a business recovery center at its office at 4001 Mission Oaks Blvd. in Camarillo. Business owners can meet with staff to apply for low-interest disaster loans from the Small Business Administration or the Collaborative itself. The group is also offering confidential consultations to help businesses strengthen operations in the wake of the disaster. Clare Briglio, director of communication at the Collaborative, stressed that financing and consultation services are available to local businesses suffering both economic and property damage caused by the fires. To take advantage of the services, businesses should immediately register with the Federal Emergency Management Agency at disasterassistance.gov, she said. Briglio added that while it’s crucial to register with FEMA soon, assessing the full extent of economic harm will take time. According to a University of California – Santa Barbara survey of nearly 300 businesses located near California wildfires, 15 percent said they needed financial assistance to continue operating. “One thing we learned after the Thomas Fire is to not make assumptions about what effect the disaster has had on your business immediately,” said Briglio. “The impact of a disaster is felt over time, and we don’t know how the market is going to respond.” Financial options Margot Lederer, co-owner of olive oil shop Olive Alchemy in Calabasas, said she plans to apply for financial assistance. The three-year-old store took a hit after being forced to close for five days during the blaze. “We will definitely need a low-interest loan to help pay off our inventory,” she said. In addition to disaster financing, many businesses will be filing insurance claims to help cover costs. After last year’s Thomas Fire, claims made by both businesses and individuals amounted to $1.8 billion, according to the UC Santa Barbara report. To help with the claims process, insurers have set up mobile centers throughout Ventura and Los Angeles counties. Janet Ruiz, a spokesperson with the Insurance Information Institute, said meeting with a representative in person can help business owners understand exactly what damages their policy covers and how to move forward filing a claim. “After a catastrophe, it’s still very traumatic for people, and meeting with someone in person can make a big difference,” she said. For Fasola at SIP, filing a claim will be the first step in a long road to recovering his business. He plans to rebuild the bar at the same site in Agoura Hills. In the meantime, he hopes to launch a temporary location nearby. “We’re not going to wait two years to rebuild,” he said. “It’s important for us and the community to get back up-and-running in a timely fashion.” In the weeks following the blaze, Fasola has been encouraged by the outpouring of support, including dozens of emails he has received from customers and friends in the wine industry, which was particularly devastated. “I’ve lived in the area all my life so I’m not unfamiliar with Malibu fires,” he said. “They happen and people recover. We’re resilient and optimistic; we know it will take some time but we’re motivated.”