The Thomas fire has had a lot of devastating impacts, from the loss of two lives to the loss of more than 900 homes, and businesses.
The last two weeks have been a nightmare for Ventura beekeepers Steve and Kelly Nimmer.
The Nimmers found out about the fire hours after it started, and frantically started moving their 150 hives from the fire’s path in Ventura to Ojai in the middle of the night.
Steve Nimmer says they had moved about half of the 150 hives when the flames reached Ventura. They had to flee, leaving about 80 hives, and millions of bees to burn. But, the ordeal was just starting. With the fire moving towards Ojai, they moved the surviving hives to Carpinteria. Then, the fire headed towards Carpinteria. The exhausted couple was out of ideas, but fortunately the flames bypassed the temporary home for the hives.
Nimmer says the loss of hives and income topped $50,000, but that the community has been stepping up to help them rebuild their business.