November 2017
by Seth Halpern, Editor Early Monday morning on October 9th, John Gaiser woke up to the sound of his dog barking and the smell of smoke in the air. When he got out of bed, he saw flames on three sides of his home. That was the beginning of his family’s experience in the Cascade Fire that scorched through 10,000 acres of Yuba County as part of one of the most devastating local fires in history. While Northern California has been no stranger to wildfires, the recent fires have (collectively) been the deadliest in the California history. All told, there were thousands of homes destroyed and more than 40 deaths in the recent rash of fires in Northern California.
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The Cascade Fire, while not as large in numbers as the fires in Santa Rosa or Napa, is closest to the hearts of our readers since many of our neighbors, friends, family and co-workers were affected by it. In the ashes of its destructive path, the Cascade Fire destroyed more than 140 homes, killed four people, and displaced thousands of Yuba County residents One of those homes destroyed belonged to John and Anna Gaiser. Those who know John, and most do, know that the owner of Gaiser Pets is one of the most generous and caring people in our community. He is continually sought out for donations and support for all sorts of
Continue on page 16 Legislative Update from James Gallagher
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THE CASCADE FIRE AND ME
by Elaine Briefman I was restless and frustrated so I turned on my clock radio near my bed hoping some worship music would help me go to sleep. After the first song finished and the second began I leaned over to turn it off when I heard the strange squawking of the Emergency Broadcast System Alert. I didn’t pay close attention and heard the word ‘lake’ and wondered if it was Lake County. Then I realized I was a bit far from Lake County to be hearing their alert so I got up and checked my phone. There was a text from a friend asking if I was ok. I’m thinking, “It’s 4:00 in the morning, why wouldn’t I be?” Then, between the
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TV, social media and a call to my boss I realized I best be taking this all serious. My community is on fire and I needed to evacuate! At first, I was stunned and walked in circles only knowing I needed to take the box I kept with all my birth certificates, DMV records, passports and such. I knew I should take clothes but I hadn’t done laundry and wondered how long would I really be gone. I went downstairs and grabbed a few pictures, my Bible and 2 old books, one written by Charles Spurgeon well over 100 years old. Living alone it was challenging to
Continue on page 17 1040 Lincoln Rd., Suite A, #124 Yuba City, CA 95991 530-933-1385 editor@ambassadornewspaper.com
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