Page 367 - Peterson 85 Years and Going Strong

Top to bottom: Peterson’s Redding store in February 2018; The Carr Fire burned nearly 230,000 acres between July 23 – August 30, 2018. It is the seventh largest fire in California history.
caused the steel rim to spark against the pavement and ignite nearby vegetation. It happened on Hwy 299 near the Carr Power station close to French Gulch—thus earning its name.
The power was out when Waite got to Cresco. His first stop, after loading up some generators, was next door to Peterson. Jim Lanphear and a couple other evacuated employees were living out of their RVs there in Peterson’s yard. “We had everything all staged and ready to go, just hoping the fire wouldn’t hit the store,” says Waite. “I was back and forth on the phone with all my employees, and my family, making sure everybody was safe, and then helping evacuate people and farm animals. It was a long, sleepless, crazy night. Everybody was scared. But we all made it through.”
Many of the generators Waite delivered were tow- ables (25–70kW) and some smaller portable gen- erators (3–12kW). Some employees came in to help load up Cresco’s ten-wheeler, but many were still dealing with family. Waite delivered most of the generators, one at a time, with his pickup truck. “I towed a couple out to French Gulch where Pe- terson Power was working on one of PG&E’s sub-stations. The CHP and Caltrans weren’t let- ting anyone through, but when I told them who I was and what I was doing, the chief let me pass. I was literally the only one out on 299. It was really eerie seeing all the fire retardant across the road, knowing the fire had been there recently. Both
CHAPTER 23 | 365