SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – Credit unions here were open for business Monday after heavy smoke and ash from a wildfire forced branch closures on May 8.
Roy McLaughlin, CEO of Santa Barbara Teachers FCU, told Credit Union Journal at least two members had lost homes to the fire, which was described as 70% contained as of Monday afternoon. “One of our three branches is in Santa Barbara, and it was closed on Friday,” he said, adding the branch had reopened for regular hours Monday. “Our building was in the mandatory evacuation zone, so members weren’t able to come here [Friday]. The fire came within one mile of our branch when the winds picked up Thursday night into Friday morning.” Authorities lifted most evacuation orders over the weekend, McLaughlin said.
Teri Zanini, CEO of Santa Barbara County FCU, said she was relieved calmer winds and cooler weather allowed firefighters to make headway against the fire. At least half of the credit union’s staff missed work on May 8 after their homes were evacuated overnight. “The fire cleared up some over the weekend, and there is about 70% containment [Monday],” she said “We had to shut down our branch about an hour early on Friday because the smoke was so bad even inside the building. Every time a member opened the door, heavy ash came in. But we were open on Saturday, normal hours, and no problems [Monday].” Zanini said Santa Barbara County FCU had yet to hear from any members who had their home destroyed or damaged.
Wescom Credit Union, headquartered in Pasadena, Calif., has two branches here. A spokeswoman said neither branch was impacted by the fire, as both were open for normal hours of operation. Wescom has not heard from any members whose homes were burned. Local media reported 75 structures were burned.
