11/13/18

In Southern California, the city of Thousand Oaks was hit with back-to-back crises. As they mourn the loss of 13 people, including the gunman, in a mass shooting,

the city is also dealing with a fire that's now forced 75 percent of the residents to evacuate. NPR's Leila Fadel is in Thousand Oaks. Leila, thanks so much for being with us.

Thank you. These back-to-back tragedies - how do people hold up?

You know, it's been really difficult. The same center where families had been waiting to hear about whether their loved ones lived or died at the Borderline Bar and Grill - where the gunman walked in and started shooting -

is now an evacuation center for people fleeing the fires. And in a city where pretty much everyone knew someone or knew someone who knew someone that was in that bar, it's really a lot to take.

Yesterday, the mayor of Thousand Oaks, Andrew Fox, talked about that while asking people to please heed warnings and leave if they're asked to leave. Take a listen.

Just 48 hours ago, our city experienced a tragedy that had national implications with the mass shooting and the loss of life of 13 individuals. And here we are, just a few hours later, now talking about another crisis right here in Thousand Oaks.

And now students at Pepperdine University, which had students at the bar on Wednesday night, are sheltering on campus as this massive fire burns closer to them.

When shootings occur, and, alas, they have occurred, statistically, almost every day this year, people search for answers - why somebody, anybody, would do this.

Any more information about the gunman? Well, right now, there's just a lot of speculation about the why.