Evacuated restaurant owners collecting for fire

The owners of a Gardnerville restaurant are doing what they can to help people who have lost their homes in the Angora fire while they are evacuated from their own Lake Tahoe home.

Erick and Nancy Aguilar are accepting donations of cash, checks, clothes, blankets and sundry items at Rancho Grande Restaurant to be delivered to the Northern Nevada Red Cross in a coordinated effort with The Record-Courier. Items bound for the Red Cross will be picked up today and July 6.

"This is for people who have nothing," said Nancy Aguilar. "It's pretty scary."

The Aguilars have been owners of Rancho Grande Restaurant & Cantina for six months and have been commuting to Gardnerville. Nancy Aguilar works for the Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California in the TANF office.

They decided to make a voluntary evacuation of their South Lake Tahoe home and are staying upstairs from the restaurant in a one bedroom, one bath apartment with their two daughters.

"We brought up important papers, photos and the kids can't live without TV," said Nancy Aguilar. "Everything else is still at the house."

The situation became more serious when the fire moved toward their neighborhood west of Tahoe Keys.

"On Tuesday afternoon about 3:30, they said the fire shifted to our neighborhood. It got to me more now that it's in our section," said Nancy Aguilar. "It's hard with the firefighters being in danger. People with newborns have lost their houses completely."

She said the fire makes her think of what they left in their home at the Lake.

"Our daughters were born at the hospital there. They love it there. Erick is real proud of his beautiful garden," she said.

"On Tuesday morning it was 40 percent contained and then it was right there," said Erick Aguilar. "We grabbed the computer and hard drive and the luggage. We left the couches and brought clothes.

"We're OK. We have insurance but we're thinking about all the people who are renting. We want to help," he said. "We want to do what we can to help Lake Tahoe."

The Rancho Grande Restaurant & Cantina will be accepting donations during working hours, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., every day except Sunday.

They have coordinated truck deliveries to Lake Tahoe with The Record-Courier and will be picking up donated items today and July 6.

Items needed are clean or preferably new clothes, sundries such as shampoo, shaving cream, sunscreen, lotion and toothpaste and toothbrushes.

Cash donations are welcome and checks should be made to Northern Nevada Red Cross, Tahoe Fire Fund.

For more information, call Rancho Grande at 782-6145.

Cash and other donations may be dropped off at:

Rancho Grande Restaurant & Cantina

1404 Highway 395, Gardnerville

Checks should be made to Northern Nevada Red Cross, Tahoe Fire Fund

Information at 782-6145