‘They thought evacuation was a field trip’

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El Toro:

About 272 people, mostly from Fallbrook or Foothill Ranch, spent the night at El Toro High School’s gym on hundreds of blue, green and red cots set up by the American Red Cross. During the day some took naps on the cots or crowded around a TV, in their socks or barefoot; some said they felt like they were in their living rooms.

Shirley Viramontes, 44, of Fallbrook was happy to spot a familiar face: Kenneth Samuels, 67, who lived in her Summer Ridge apartment complex. He had told her to evacuate Monday, but she could not bring herself to leave. Instead she and her 8-year-old daughter Gina spent the night in a Dodge van at the entrance to their complex, until the smoke became too thick about 4 a.m. Samuels told her he called home and heard his answering machine, ‘so that’s good news.’ She replied, ‘I hope to see you at home.’

About 30 people at the gym were seniors, evacuated from nursing homes or assisted living facilities, including Emerald Gardens and Fallbrook Terrace. ‘I didn’t hear any complaints from [the seniors] even though we were stuck in a car for 2 hours,’ said Remylyn Massip, 36, who helped with the move. ‘They thought it was a field trip.’

-- My-Thuan Tran