U-Haul offers free storage for California wildfire victims
U-Haul locations in Southern California are offering free storage to victims of the raging wildfires. Residents who have been or will be effected by the fires are offered 30 days of free self-storage and U-Box containers.
The multiple wildfires in Los Angeles and Ventura counties have burned more than 80,000 acres so far. Strong Santa Ana winds fueled the flames on Tuesday night, forcing more than 27,000 people to evacuate their homes.
Two U-Haul companies in the San Fernando Valley and Van Nuys areas have made seven of their self-storage facilities available.
"Many of our neighbors are in harm's way because of these fires," Chad Farren, president of the U-Haul Company of San Fernando Valley, said in a statement. "We want to provide them a secure place to store their belongings at no charge for 30 days."
This is not the first time U-Haul has offered its services for disaster victims. During Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Nate, U-Haul companies in the affected states offered free storage to people in need. The company has also done this during other natural disasters, including 2011 tornadoes in Texas and 2011 floods in Tennessee and Kentucky.
U-Haul is is also an official American Red Cross Disaster Responder.
Of the wildfires currently burning around the Los Angeles area, the Thomas Fire in Ventura has been the largest and most destructive so far. The 101-square-mile wildfire halted traffic on the 405 freeway on Tuesday night and poses a threat to some 12,000 homes and other buildings. Almost 50,000 customers lost power due to the fires.
A list of the seven participating U-Haul locations offering free 30 day storage can be found at myuhaulhistory.com.
