Despite an undeniably stressful evacuation, one man managed to bring peace to the situation through music.
On August 30th, Highway 50 was lined with cars as the desperately tried to leave South Lake Tahoe and escape the Caldor wildfire spreading across the city. It was reported that over 1000 residents were unable to move for 2 hours due to the high volume of traffic.
But despite the stress, one man took it upon himself to lighten the mood. And it certainly seems as if he did just that! Mel Smothers, the man of the hour, thrilled his fellow Tahoe residents by standing outside of his car and playing the violin.
Smothers was all smiles as he stood carefree on the road, allowing other stranded drivers to listen in. In the video above, drivers from the long line of cars can be seen stood basking in the glory of the music. This beats listening to the radio any day!
Not only did his music lift the spirits of evacuees, it also found fame on social media, with San Fransisco news sites continuing to document the scenes. In one clip, his dog can even be seen sat in the drivers seat – not that he’d be going anywhere anytime soon.
Twitter even compared Smothers to the musicians who played on the Titanic as it sank. The similarities are clearly there – in the midst of a tragedy, they still aimed to please others and put them at ease. True heroes in their own right!
Wildfires are increasingly common in the US, with most of them resulting in chaos. But one unfortunate disaster caused some stunning photos as it turned the San Fransisco sky orange. Mother Nature can be beautiful and evil, proving women can truly multitask.
Speaking to CNN, Mel stated that “there are things we can’t control on the planet”, reminding us all that what we can achieve is special and highly valued.Â
