Huntington Beach seafood spot turns into a wildfire relief hub : 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 local.

Most of the seafood served up in their Huntington Beach restaurant Calico Fish House is sourced from fishers in the area.

This week, that local ethos has stretched a bit further. About an hour’s drive south of the Palisades and the Eaton Fires are raging in Los Angeles, the Gruels have set up their small business to double as a wildfire relief hub. From there, they’ve been coordinating efforts to get donated goods hauled to their neighbors up north.

The magnitude of destruction in the iconic metropolis is vast. At least 10 people have died in the fires, and authorities say the death toll is likely to rise. Thousands of structures have burned, with countless neighborhood blocks reduced to ash. About 180,000 people have had to evacuate with more than double that under evacuation warnings, according to the LA County Sheriff’s Department.

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

A restaurant becomes a sanctuary

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

Since the owners put the word out on social media that they would house donations for people affected by the fires, a seemingly endless stream of volunteers has shown up to the restaurant ready to help. Some come armed with supplies; others are stopping by with their trucks and trailers to transport the aid to LA.

Boxes and boxes — of clothing, toiletries, diapers, cat food, fresh fruit and cases of water — lined the perimeter of the restaurant on Thursday night, waiting to be hauled away. Almost as quickly as volunteers load up one truck, the piles of aid are replenished with more donations from the community.

“We’ve seen such an outpouring of support,” she said. “My husband and I put out a call to action on our social media, and it kind of just blew up in the best possible way. We’re so thankful and grateful that people have trusted us to bring the items that they donated to where they need to go.”

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

‘They wanted to help’

The city public works department has lent a 20-foot trailer to the cause. The mayor and police chief have also stopped by to lend a hand, she said.

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

Local 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 really scared and wanted to help people. So, we went to Costco and they picked out those things personally.”

Andrew Gruel and volunteer residents are spending Friday at Calico cooking up beef and eggs to feed first responders and volunteers in Los Angeles. Bill Larkin, a board member on the city’s Harbour 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 as far away as Florida and North Carolina, have chipped in, Lauren Gruel said. Many have been using Amazon and Wal-Mart to ship their donated purchases to the restaurant.

The Gruels have arranged to drop off the truckloads at a few community centers serving as donation hubs, including the Dream Center in Central LA and the Pasadena Convention Center.

“There’s a huge line there of people needing supplies, which obviously they would need because their entire worlds were shattered,” Lauren Gruel said.

She said some of the biggest needs right now for the scores of displaced Angelenos, many of whom have lost most of their belongings in the blaze, are socks, underwear and baby formula. But it’s not just the bare necessities, 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 people affected by the fires. As of Thursday night, more than 50 groups of people had dropped in to take the owners up on the offer, said co-owner Andrew Gruel.

“If you need to stay here, grab a bite to eat, figure out your next step, you’re more than welcome to just hang out here for a few,” he said.

Alex Ordorica, who lives just down the street, brought his truck by to help out with the hauling.

“I just thought it was going to help out, you know? That’s what we’re raised to do,” he said. “If you can try to bring a smile on their face in any way, just try to do it, you know?”

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

“It seemed like the smoke was just following me the whole way down here, and this dark cloud is over us,” he said. “It’s been a wild, wild couple of days.”