'It Really Can not Get Much Worse': Thousand Oaks, First Hit by Shooting

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. – Only hours after a gunman attacked a country music bar in Thousand Oaks, the city was once again struck with panic. This time, fire forced the evacuation of the town still reeling from the devastating shooting.

Residents in Thousand Oaks had just begun to mourn the 12 people killed late Wednesday at the Borderline Bar & Grill when the second crisis this week set the city on edge. For hours after the shooting, people crowded into the Thousand Oaks Teen Center, anxious to find out their loved ones had survived. It was well past lunchtime before it started to empty out. But by midnight, it was crowded again – this time has a fire evacuation center.

As wildfires spread through Ventura County, thousands of residents were forced to evacuate, who had just survived the shooting just 24 hours earlier.

For Dylan McNey, a 22-year-old carpenter, the evacuation orders were the least of his worries. Mr. McNey has survived two mass shootings just a year apart: first, at the county music festival in Las Vegas, then once again in Thousand Oaks this week. Mr. McNey used to work at Borderline, and said he was at least a couple of times a week.

Although his friends had all survived the Las Vegas shooting, he was helped to escape, he said. Six of his friends were killed at the Borderline shooting.

On Thursday afternoon, he had several friends in their grievances. When they received an evacuation order, his mother and sister left. But Mr. McNey decided to stay with his father, to train firefighter, and watched the fire from their backyard.

"We had a good view from where it was starting," he said.

The family survived the Lake Arrowhead Fire several years ago, and felt they could stick it out this time. And, he said, he just wanted to stay at such a difficult time.

"We saw the fire on TV and felt we did not want to leave," he said.

We're a survivor of both Las Vegas and Borderline shoots, he said simply, "I wish I could tell you what it was like to go through it twice."

In some ways, the Borderline attack was even more traumatic, he said, because it happened at home. "It's literally five minutes from my house," he said.

The evacuations, where many residents had already gone to the flames coming close to their homes. Dozens of F.B.I. agents from Virginia, Agura Hills, announcing that they are now under mandatory evacuation orders.

"This is just crazy, it really can not get much worse," said Billy, who was handling the front desk at the teen center, who would only give his first name answer for the second time in two days.

Just before dawn on Friday, a few people were sleeping at the evacuation center, instead of crowding around a television showing local news, with images of flames juxtaposed with names of the dead from Wednesday's shooting.

The answer to the shooting has moved rapidly, as if the community had learned from each other one that had gone through a similar tragedy. The city held a prayer vigil at the Thousand Oaks art center Thursday night, where hundreds of residents held plastic batteries-operated candles. There were already T-shirts memorializing the shooting.

"This is just a beginning, many many families are affected," said Mayor Andy Fox, whose voice broke with tears as he spoke. "Communities coming together make a difference. We will be strong because we have to be. "

The Ventura County Medical Review released the names of the victims Friday morning. With thousands evacuated in Thousand Oaks and dozens of homes destroyed, the fast-burning fire is still threatening to burn more in the city, and will likely delay the funerals for the victims.

On Friday afternoon, open flames shot at the Thousand Oaks Teen Center, where people were taking shelter from the fire. Many businesses in the city were closed and unclear if the shelter would be evacuated.

Lonnie Schrader, a Pastor, said he and his family have been acquainted who have been evacuated from their homes. He expressed shock that the community had to pivot so quickly from Wednesday night's shooting to fire preparation.

"Because it's an emergency, you have to suck it up and do what you can, and you can get your emotions back on a little bit to process," he said. "I do not know what in the world is going on."