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Podcasts Off-Ramp
Off-Ramp for Jun 13, 2009
Off-Ramp with John Rabe Hero Image
(
Dan Carino
)
Episode 56
Listen 52:50
Off-Ramp for Jun 13, 2009

The documentary "The Ashes of Oakridge" takes us to a mobile home park in Sylmar devastated by wildfires.

The documentary "The Ashes of Oakridge" takes us to a mobile home park in Sylmar devastated by wildfires.

Listen 14:49
For many firefighters, the Oakridge fire was one of the worst in recent memory. Residents and firefighters recount the events of November 15, 2008, when a fire crested the hills above Sylmar and swept through Oakridge Mobile Home Park. And residents remember how the park was a throwback to life in the West, with friendly neighbors, wild animals in the streets, and mountain views.
Video montage story of the firefighters who battled the flames of Oakridge.
Listen 18:06
We take you on the a bus ride through the wreckage and tell you about the miracle home, which survived the blaze when everything around it burnt. Plus, mobile housing advocates and the Governator Arnold Schwarzenegger weigh-in on construction standards, and on the future of mobile home parks in fire-prone areas.
Video of a bus ride through the wreckage of Oakridge.
Listen 15:32
Frank sifts through the debris of Oakridge. Fire officials and LAPD explain how they freed an immobile woman who was willing to die in the blaze. Residents share what drew them to the homes in the first place. And we try to understand how elderly residents react to starting over.
Video of Frank Stolze walking through the ashes of Oakridge.