Restaurants on guard as fires threaten LA area
Some restaurants close as operators monitor the situation
Several wildfires spread across Southern California on Wednesday, forcing thousands to evacuate and potentially threatening restaurants in the Los Angeles area.
By the end of the day Wednesday, fires had burned more than 95,000 acres, mostly in Ventura County, north of Los Angeles. Firefighters were struggling to keep flames away from the bucolic Ojai Valley, according to state fire officials. At least 150 structures were destroyed in that area. No civilian injuries were reported.
A firefighter works in the aftermath of a fire in a residential neighborhood of Ventura. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)
Restaurant operators throughout the city said they were monitoring the situation, and some reported closures.
The Bel-Air, a casual-dining restaurant tucked into the Sepulveda Pass, closed early Wednesday just before a mandatory evacuation order was issued.
Owner Susan Lord said she didn’t know whether the restaurant would reopen Thursday.