As another day passes in Central California, the Rough Fire has grown to 130,000 acres, but thankfully it does not appear to be growing in the direction towards Saint Nicholas Ranch and Retreat Center, or the Monastery of the Theotokos the Life Giving Spring. Nearly 3,000 firefighters continue to work day and night to control the largest fire currently in the state of California, which is at 31% containment. Firefighters have successfully completed nearby back-burns which have kept the fire from crossing Highway 180 which leads to these facilities.
“We continue to pray for the safekeeping of our beloved Monastery and Ranch, and are grateful to our clergy and faithful for being vigilant in their supplications to the Lord,” stated His Eminence Metropolitan Gerasimos. “Though the fire is not yet fully controlled, we remain cautiously optimistic that the threat of imminent danger has passed. We are also grateful that no damage has occurred to any of our facilities, nor to the current construction projects at both the Ranch and Monastery.”
A decision was made by Ranch Director Michael Pappas, and a few sisters at the Monastery to not evacuate on Friday. Though the smoke had grown quite thick, fire has not been seen in the immediate area. As you can see from the photographs, the air has cleared substantially, and the Ranch, Faith and Heritage Center and Monastery are completely intact and the situation does appear much more favorable.
The roads to the Ranch and Monastery remain closed by the Fire Department and are not accessible to the public. It is important that the Ranch and Monastery phone lines be kept open should emergency personnel need to reach them, so you are kindly asked to refrain from calling.
It is the hope of both the Ranch and Monastery that their facilities will be open by next weekend, pending confirmation from fire officials in the area. The Metropolis will provide further updates as they are available.
GLORY TO GOD FOR ALL THING
Δεν υπάρχουν σχόλια:
Δημοσίευση σχολίου