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Fires engulf northern and southern California; food trucks feed evacuees

Food trucks have risen to the need to assist evacuees as lethal fires have destroyed homes and buildings in California. The fire in Northern California has already claimed 48 lives.

Photo iStock.com

November 14, 2018 by Elliot Maras — Editor, Kiosk Marketplace & Vending Times

The fire that has decimated tens of thousands of homes in Northern California will be remembered as one of the state's worst disasters for many years to come.

The wildfire that has claimed 48 lives at the time of this report has destroyed an untold number of food trucks along with thousands of homes and buildings. Other food trucks from across the state have joined tens of thousands of individuals and organizations to contribute to a massive relief effort.

President Donald Trump has approved a disaster declaration for California, unlocking federal funds to help victims, according to Yahoo News. California Gov. Jerry Brown requested the declaration Sunday as the fires incinerated swaths of Butte County in Northern California and the Woolsey and Hill fires continued to burn in Southern California.

'It's total devastation'

Vicki Marquardt and Shawn Hamilton, owners of Vicki's Kitchen, managed to save their food truck from the fire that consumed their home in the town of Paradise. 

"It's total devastation," Marquardt told Food Truck Operator. "It's like a war zone." She has been able to stay with friends in Oroville, a 30-minute drive south of Paradise.

Marquardt was working Thursday morning at an intermediate school where she is a cook when she saw smoke and heard the evacuation order. She ran to her car to escape the approaching inferno. 

"I barely escaped in my car with a police escort, with flames hitting both sides of my car," she said. "But I escaped. Some people had to leave their cars and run, so I'm lucky."

Hamilton was out driving the food truck when police directed him to head west to Chico to avoid the blaze. On the way, he ran out of fuel, but was eventually able to get the truck to a trucking yard owned by an acquaintance, Marquardt said.

While the school building survived, an adjacent elementary school burned to the ground.

As for their home, "There's nothing left, just ashes," Marquardt said. "No beams, no appliances, nothing. We're both an emotional wreck right now." Fortunately, she said, their homeowner's insurance will cover the financial loss of their home.

The commissary the food truck used was also destroyed, Marquardt said.

Communication hampered

Marquardt was unable to reach Hamilton until she got to Oroville. "The communication was hindered severely because all of these cell towers were burned up," she said. "We're lucky that we did finally speak on the phone." Her supervisor, meanwhile, was unable to reach her husband for three days.

Driving anywhere was difficult because police had turned many streets into one-way thoroughfares, she said. 

Marquardt has no idea when they will return to work. "Everything's up in the air right now," she said. Their first order of business is to get toiletries and clothes.

One bright spot has been the support from the community. "The love and outreach from the community has been phenomenal," she said. "Restaurants are amazing. The shelters are amazing. All you have to do is walk in and you can get food. There are plenty of items being given away and picked up free of charge at all the shelters." 

Food trucks feed evacuees

Food trucks from across the state have fed victims and first responders.

Mayhem Gourmet Grilled Cheese in Chico has been busy every day feeding people since the fire struck. Though the fire has not reached Chico, the air is full of smoke, making it necessary to wear a mask, said Jennie Wolfe, who operates the food truck with her husband, Jeremy Wolfe. Chico has been inundated with evacuees in need of food, shelter and supplies, Wolfe said.

"Basically, all of Paradise burned, probably in less than four hours," said Wolfe, who has three family members who have lost their homes. She also knows food truck owners in Paradise whose trucks were destroyed, along with the commissaries they used.

One four-lane road from Paradise to Chico was converted from a two-way to a one-way thoroughfare to accommodate the flood of evacuees, she said. The road was so congested that the trip, which normally takes 15 minutes, took as long as eight hours for some people.

Mayhem Gourmet Grilled Cheese has been feeding people for free from a Walmart parking lot where many evacuees are being housed. They have also been feeding evacuees at churches. 

Food truck owners have called from other cities asking where they can feed people, she said.

"The people of Chico and Paradise and Butte County made our truck be as successful as it is, and so we've always been wanting to give away food and just treat out customers as if they were our family," she said.

Wolfe's food truck has also teamed with Upgraded Living Magazine, another local business, on a GoFundMe page.

"It should allow us to feed folks for quite some time," said Aveed Khaki, who publishes the magazine and has assisted the Wolfes on the food truck feeding evacuees.

The need continues

Truck A Roni, another Chico food truck, has been providing food and helping to distribute clothing, blankets and other supplies to evacuees for five consecutive days, said owner Rob Busick.

On Friday, he served food for eight hours in a church parking lot. He has also served meals at the Walmart parking lot. On Tuesday, his was one of six trucks scheduled to feed Paradise high school students at a Chico high school.

Additionally, Busick has volunteered to help set up tents and distribute supplies.

"There's been so much outreach and food support that I've been able to focus my energy on direct care," he said. "I don't think anybody's going hungry, which is awesome. Being a local truck, I can help out for the next month."

One food truck, Sexy Panda, came all the way from Sacramento and has been serving every day since the fire, Busick said.

Meanwhile, the World Central Kitchen, an organization that provides meals to first responders, has set up shop at the commissary Busick uses. The 50 workers there have provided 10,000 to 15,000 meals a day. 

Donations will be needed for months to come.

About Elliot Maras

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Elliot Maras is the editor of Kiosk Marketplace and Vending Times. He brings three decades covering unattended retail and commercial foodservice.