Double threat:
Fears of fire, virus don’t keep patrons away from Lake County casino.
MIDDLETOWN, Lake County — Moments before Sarah Anderson and her husband strolled into the Twin Pine Casino & Hotel in Middletown on Wednesday night, a 747 flew low overhead, having just dumped a load of fire retardant on the northern edge of the LNU Lightning Complex a few miles away.
The proximity of the fire, which released thick gray smoke into the skies, did not really bother Anderson, who lives in Lower Lake. Nor was Anderson bothered too much by the risk of exposing herself to the coronavirus inside the casino, which is allowed to be open since it is run by a tribal government.
At least with the fires, she’s had experience.
“We’ve been going through this for five years now,” she said.
Since 2015, when the
Valley Fire swept into Middletown, Lake County has had a major fire nearly every year, which many of the casino patrons said made them feel mostly at ease heading into a casino with a major wildfire burning just miles away.
“We’re kind of used to the fires by now,” said Janine Foree, of Clearlake, who stopped in at the casino with her friend, Lucy Allen, to use the restrooms, get some food and maybe gamble a little on their way back home from Santa Rosa.
As for the coronavirus, which closed the casino from March through June, casinogoers interviewed on their way in said they felt reassured by the precautions the casino takes, including a temperature check at the door, sanitizer stations around the casino, and limited seating at gaming tables and the rows and rows of slot machines. The casino’s restaurant was also closed, though the snack bar was serving food like tater tots loaded with bacon and cheese.
Kyle Lewis, the casino’s marketing director, said the casino closed down last Thursday, the day after the Hennessey Fire (part of the LNU) roared into the county and emergency officials warned Middletown residents to get ready to evacuate. But after the warning remained an advisory and didn’t become an order, and some employees said they were ready to return to work, Twin Pine reopened on Saturday.
The casino wasn’t crowded on Wednesday night, but there was a steady flow of gamblers heading through the front door after pausing for the temperature check.
“It has been slow,” Lewis said. “The smoke and fires have caused some people not to come to the casino. It has had an impact but we will stay open as long as we can.”
The casino’s hotel, he said, is hosting first responders and utility workers helping with the firefight as well as people who have voluntarily evacuated.
Some of the patrons, like Anderson, said the visit to the casino was a necessity after months of being cooped up by shelterinplace orders and now the smoke.
“I got laid off and stayed home for four months,” she said. “That’s not living. We need to venture out a little bit now and then, get out of the house.”
Outside the casino, at the entrance, two large signboards contain maps showing the location of nearby fires and the latest updates from Cal Fire. But they didn’t seem to dissuade many people heading into the casino.
“We’re just stopping by on the way home,” said Eduardo Rivera, of Santa Rosa. “Hopefully with some extra money.”