Huntington Beach seafood spot transforms into forest firefighting hub: NPR

Huntington Beach seafood spot transforms into forest firefighting hub: NPR

Lauren Gruel, pictured right, celebrates Thursday after filling another truck bed with supplies donated by the community. She and her husband, Andrew, turned their Huntington Beach restaurant into a fundraising center to support wildfire victims in Los Angeles.

Lauren Gruel, pictured right, celebrates Thursday after filling another truck bed with supplies donated by the community. She and her husband, Andrew, turned their Huntington Beach restaurant into a fundraising center to support wildfire victims in Los Angeles.

Emma Bowman/NPR


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Emma Bowman/NPR

HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. – Lauren and Andrew Gruel, the husband-and-wife owners of a seafood restaurant in a Southern California surf town, are used to thinking locally.

Most of the seafood served at her Huntington Beach restaurant, Calico Fish House, comes from local fishermen.

This week, that local ethos expanded even further. About an hour’s drive south of Palisades, the Eaton fires are raging in Los Angeles. The Gruels founded their small business that doubles as a forest firefighting center. From there, they coordinated efforts to transport donated goods to their neighbors to the north.

The extent of the destruction in the iconic metropolis is enormous. At least 10 people died in the fires and authorities say the death toll is likely to rise. Thousands of buildings have burned down and countless apartment blocks in the neighborhood have been reduced to ashes. According to the LA County Sheriff’s Department, about 180,000 people had to be evacuated, more than double that due to evacuation warnings.

“It tugs at your heartstrings,” Lauren Gruel said. “I mean, from here you could see the smoke in the air, and just the thought of the devastation they’re experiencing is really heartbreaking.”

A restaurant becomes a refuge

Calico Fish House, which opened two years ago, is one of the first shops you see when you come to Orange County from LA if you take the scenic route – also known as the Pacific Coast Highway. Many displaced Angelenos have come here seeking safety and slightly better air quality or to stay with family and friends in the area.

Married couple Lauren and Andrew Gruel opened their seafood restaurant Calico Fish House two years ago.

Married couple Lauren and Andrew Gruel opened their seafood restaurant Calico Fish House two years ago.

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Since the owners announced on social media that they would be providing donations to those affected by the fires, a seemingly endless stream of restaurant volunteers has shown up ready to help. Some come armed with supplies; others come by with their trucks and trailers to transport the supplies to LA.

Boxes upon boxes — of clothing, toiletries, diapers, cat food, fresh fruit and cases of water — lined the perimeter of the restaurant Thursday evening, waiting to be carted away. Almost as quickly as volunteers load a truck, the mountains of aid are replenished by further donations from the community.

“We’ve seen such a huge outpouring of support,” she said. “My husband and I put out a call to action on our social media and it caught on in the best way possible. We are so grateful and thankful that people trusted us to take the items they donated to where they needed to go.

Most of the help came from Huntington Beach residents, Lauren Gruel said.

“They wanted to help”

The city’s public works department loaned a 20-foot trailer for the job. The mayor and police chief also stopped by to help, she said.

“It’s just really cool, the involvement of our community,” Lauren Gruel said. “That’s what I love about Huntington.”

Resident Tracy Heffelman stopped by with her two young granddaughters to drop off bags of apples, Gatorade, nuts and other supplies.

“They wanted to help,” Heffelman said. “I showed them some videos and they were very scared and wanted to help people. So we went to Costco and they personally picked these things out.”

Firefighters monitor the Palisades Fire on the edge of the Pacific Palisades neighborhood in Los Angeles on Friday.

Firefighters monitor the Palisades Fire on the edge of the Pacific Palisades neighborhood in Los Angeles on Friday.

Eric Thayer/AP


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Andrew Gruel and volunteer residents spend Friday at Calico cooking beef and eggs to feed first responders and volunteers in Los Angeles. Bill Larkin, a board member of the city’s Port Commission, helped deliver 100 air purifiers to those affected by the Eaton fire.

Cross-country donations

But people from all over the country, including Oregon, Tennessee and even Florida and North Carolina, have gotten involved, Lauren Gruel said. Many use Amazon and Wal-Mart to ship their donated purchases to the restaurant.

The Gruels have agreed to drop off the truckloads at a number of community centers that serve as donation centers, including the Dream Center of Central LA and the Pasadena Convention Center.

“There’s a huge line of people who need supplies that they obviously would need because their entire worlds have been destroyed,” Lauren Gruel said.

She said that the many displaced Angelenos, many of whom have lost most of their belongings in the flames, are currently in need of socks, underwear and baby formula. But it’s not just about the bare essentials, she said.

“Kids still need to play with things, you know? So toys would be great, coloring books would be great,” Lauren Gruel said. “These people have lost everything.”

Calico is also offering a free meal to those affected by the fires. By Thursday evening, more than 50 groups of people had come by to accept the owners’ offer, said co-owner Andrew Gruel.

“If you want to stay here, have something to eat or plan your next move, you are welcome to just spend a few days here,” he said.

Alex Ordorica, who lives next door, came by in his truck to help with the transport.

Alex Ordorica, a Huntington Beach native, showed up at the Calico Fish House to help load LA-bound trucks with supplies to help fight the fire.

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“I just thought it would help, you know? That’s what we were raised for,” he said. “If you can try in any way to put a smile on their face, just try, you know?”

He had just returned from his second trip to the restaurant to drop off supplies at the Pasadena Convention Center.

“It seemed like the smoke was following me all the way here and there was this dark cloud hanging over us,” he said. “It’s been a wild, wild few days.”

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