‘It’s horrible’

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Several hundred people amassed around the water’s edge about 6:30 p.m. as rumors spread that the entire island might be evacuated. Some had masks on their faces, their belongings in bulging backpacks and suitcases. The town was nearly empty. Stores are closed.

Some residents said that they heard that two Coast Guard cutters were enroute to evacuate people from the island.

‘I’ve lived here 53 years. I’ve never seen anything like this in my life,’ said Michael Mead, manager of Island Rentals, which rents golf carts to tool around the community. ‘It’s pretty scary. This happened 100 years ago and now it’s happening again. You can see the flames now coming over the ridge into town. It’s horrible.’

-Louis Sahagun in Avalon