Survivor Rick Hale escaped the fire so quickly that he didn’t have time to grab his shoes.
“It just happened so fast. With the wind it was just like barely time to think,” Hale said. “All of these houses were a blaze with flames 20 feet high. My front yard was on fire and it was just like okay grab the dog, get in the truck and go.”
After spending the night in his car, he returned to his mobile home park in Isleton confirming his worst fears.
He said, “Everything! I had 130 pieces of framed classic rock art in there, 3000 record albums. All of the things that you can possibly imagine from a 67-year-old guy collecting things all of his life. Gone.”
Neighbors at Rancho Marina don’t know what to do next. The place they’ve called home for many years is now a melted pile of debris.
“Look at that,” Hale said, “That was my retirement, that was where I was planning to live to the end of my life and now it’s gone.
The president of the mobile home community came out to survey the damage. He estimates as many as 90 residents may be without a home.
Community President Mark Thienes said, “It’s devastating. This community won best of the best for Isleton three years in a row for being a great place.”
Many residents of this mobile home park did not have insurance but community members are rallying behind them saying they will help get them back on their feet.
“We will work around the clock to do whatever we have to do to get it up and running again,” Thienes said.
Firefighters remain on standby protecting homes on Brannan Island road. They want to make sure hot spots and the wind don’t cause more devastation.
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