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Forecasters say gusty winds are picking up again in the LA area, which will mean wildfires are an ongoing threat in the region. A new round of evacuation orders were issued Friday night, meaning that there are now more than 160,000 people in the area under such orders. To date, around 12,000 structures have been destroyed in the wildfires, including homes, schools and storefronts. The Reel Inn was one of those places. Located on the Pacific Coast Highway, it was a place you could find surfers, celebrities and tourists alike waiting in line to eat after a day at the beach, and it's now been totally lost in the Palisades fire. NPR's Kira Wakeam caught up with the owners to learn how they're coping.
ANDY LEONARD: I'm Andy.
KIRA WAKEAM, BYLINE: I'm Kira. Nice to meet you.
A LEONARD: Pleasure.
WAKEAM: I'm so sorry.
A LEONARD: Wasn't what we ordered.
WAKEAM: That's Andy Leonard. He and his wife, Teddy, have owned and operated the Reel since 1988.
A LEONARD: OK. Come on in and meet Teddy.
WAKEAM: Thank you.
I met up with the Leonards at an Airbnb in Mar Vista, where they've evacuated as they wait to hear about the fate of their home, also in the path of the massive Palisades Fire. But they say the loss of the restaurant is especially difficult to comprehend.
TEDDY LEONARD: I went on our Instagram and started looking at people's pictures and stories they've been posting on our Instagram, and I started crying so much that I had to stop because it's the community's loss.
A LEONARD: We've given a lot of people a place to come that they sincerely believe is theirs.
WAKEAM: After living in LA for decades, the Leonards have had close calls with fires before. But they say the recent spate of wildfires is like nothing they've ever seen.
A LEONARD: It was so quick. It was like a car crash. I mean, usually when there's a fire, it's coming, it's coming, it's coming. What should we do? What should we do? It's coming. This one was like, wham. And it was gone.
WAKEAM: They both say they're not ready to see what may be left where the restaurant once stood.
T LEONARD: Just watching the videos that people have sent and pictures of what's left is like being gut punched, you know? I think, we're not quite - I'm not quite ready. And I don't really - are you? No, I don't think so. We're not. We'll get there. We will get there, and - you know, and then we'll - maybe we'll meet the crew there, you know, so we can all have a moment where we can - but it's gonna be a while.
WAKEAM: Despite this personal turmoil, the couple say they're focused on helping their staff, some of whom have worked with them for decades.
A LEONARD: Our kitchen chief called...
T LEONARD: Called this morning.
A LEONARD: ...Weeping and said, what do you guys need? - 'cause you're hurt, and we're furiously peddling over here to help them. I mean, it's a family.
T LEONARD: I mean, this is the kind of people that we had working for us. And that's why we're trying to get the word out there to raise funds for them. We'll do anything for them, and they will do anything for us.
A LEONARD: Have done.
T LEONARD: Have done.
A LEONARD: They have done.
T LEONARD: Yeah.
WAKEAM: And while their world has been turned upside down, they say the support from the community is strengthening their resolve and has taught them a valuable lesson.
T LEONARD: Honestly, as odd as this sounds, this time has blessed us in understanding the humanity, the beauty of the humanity. We have had more than our share of love and compassion, and I just would like everyone to remember that. And let's do it all the time, you know? Let's take kindness out into the world. That feels right to me.
WAKEAM: And though they know there's a long road ahead, the Leonards hope to rebuild what the community once had. Kira Wakeam, NPR News, Los Angeles. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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