Evacuation center emptying

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At John Marshall High School in Los Feliz, about 25 people spent the night on cots and in chairs in the gymnasium, according to Red Cross volunteers. By 8:30 this morning, all had left except one person who was waiting for clearance to get back into a house.

Red Cross volunteer nurse Doris Walton said it was clear to her that the fire was receding. Earlier in the morning she had seen heavier smoke and flames, but now the fire seemed much more under control. ‘It looks good. You can see the mountains,’ she said.

Walton and other volunteers had served bagels, croissants, coffee and Gatorade to the evacuees for breakfast. The atmosphere in the gym ‘was very relaxed’ after residents learned their houses were safe, she said. Almost all evacuees had slept on cots, but one spent the night sitting in a chair.

‘They all seemed to have things to do today. They had appointments,’ Walton said. She said she expects the Red Cross evacuation site to be shut down by early this afternoon.

Michela Principe, 64, was evacuated from her Los Feliz Boulevard home last night because the smoke was so thick. From the high school’s driveway as she was leaving the evacuation center, she said she slept fitfully on a cot in the school gym and felt exhausted this morning. Nevertheless, she was pleased about being allowed to return home. ‘I feel good, because I want to go home.’

-Larry Gordon