Al Jardine's Property Threatened By Big Sur Fire

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Jul 03

Al Jardine's Property Threatened By Big Sur Fire

Per Steve Julian of KPCC, Al Jardine's property is being threatened by the Big Sur wildfire.

July 03, 2008 - The fire near Big Sur has forced nearly everyone out of town. The wildfire has charred more than 50,000 acres and jumped a fire line. One person who's staying put for now is Mary Ann Jardine. Her husband, Al, you might know, is a member of the Beach Boys. KPCC's Steve Julian spoke to Mary Ann, just as Al was driving away.

Julian: Al is leaving, why aren't you?

Jardine: Um, I'm staying with the property. Of course, I had a flight out, but my, we have 22-year-old sons, and they are staying with me, and we are getting the property more ready. We're making sure, we have gel that we purchased actually last Friday. Thermagel that we are putting out for the firefighters to use.

We're making sure the clearance is away, that the propane is off, out, turned off. And, you know, all that kind of stuff. That we just have the property ready, and since the fire is probably maybe three miles from our house, which doesn't sound very far, but, well, it depends. We do only have one road out towards the fire to go out, so we have to make sure that we do have a way out.

Julian: Who are you counting on to tell you when you must, absolutely leave?

Jardine: Yeah, that's kind of the problem, is if you get out of your property, then they can take you away or arrest you and tell you you can't get back, so to check on things, it's kind of iffy, you know. To get out of our canyon, to go look at it. But it would be better if we were up on the hill watching it, if you know what I mean.

But we're down in a canyon, so I guess we're gonna just watch it and hopefully, you know, today or tomorrow, we'll definitely leave. We're just trying to make the property ready for the firefighters to come in and make it a better, an easier access for them to work on. Make sure the vehicles are parked where they, you know, the ones that we're not taking; our tractor, and all that kind of facility, and all the windows are closed, and the doors are closed, and all the things that you're supposed to do in a fire.

Tags: al jardine, big sur, mary ann jardine

1 comment

§ Gerry Ashley said on : 07/15/08 @ 01:33

I wish there was something I could do to help out, but the fact of the matter is, folks who live in Big Sur are a very vibrant and self-sufficient people. At times like this, they pull together as a community and they seem like they know how to prepare as best they can and then put their trust in nature, fully aware that this paradise could burn. They will also probably be the first to see the bigger picture that while this fire is destructive to man's creations, it's all part of a rebirth of the land. In the end, no one in Big Sur really owns the land. They may have a piece of paper that says they own from here to there, but in the end, the land is all part of Mother Earth. And only she decides what stays and what goes.

I hope and pray the Jardines return to their home to find it intact. But, having lived there for some 30 years, my guess is that Alan and his family are probably fully indoctrinated to the Big Sur way of life and, like others that may have lost their dwellings, they will find their roots are intact. And it's upon those roots that their lives will be rebuilt, stronger and with more character than most of us have. Good luck, Al & Mary Ann and to all the residents of Big Sur.