For those of you who are not aware, four of our Beverly Hills BMW teammates, Priscilla Hernandez, Earvin Farfan, Victor Velasquez, and Christian Aviles, along with some of their immediate family and friends were victims of a horrendous forest fire while they were on a camping trip, in the Mammoth Lakes area over the Labor Day Weekend. While on a hike through the woods, a fire broke out and swept through the forest, cutting off the group's access to their campsite, belongings, and vehicles. After trying to navigate through the burning forest on foot, the group managed to get a ride in the back of two pickup trucks as the area was being evacuated. Victor and his girlfriend were thrown from the back of the truck they were riding in as the driver swerved to avoid a collision. Aside from the cuts and bruises from being thrown from the truck, Victor also sustained significant burns on his arms. Earvin and Priscilla were riding in the back of the other truck when the driver lost control and crashed into a burning tree. This impact caused a burning limb of the tree to fall on the bed of the truck. Heroically, Earvin protected Priscilla’s young daughter from the falling limb/embers. Earvin sustained 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th degree burns on over 50% of his back along with his legs and arms. After fleeing on foot, the group managed to find refuge in a nearby lake, where they waited for hours until help arrived. Fortunately, the group was evacuated by helicopter and taken to a hospital in Fresno. Priscilla was released the following day, after suffering burns to her face. A teammate, Jorge Cueva, drove up to Fresno to take Priscilla and her daughter, who was unscathed, back to Los Angeles. Victor was released on Monday and brought back to Los Angeles by his immediate family, where he is now recovering at home. Earvin underwent a successful surgery on Monday and is still recovering in the hospital; he is expected to stay in the hospital for a few more days. Christian underwent surgery on Tuesday and is also recovering in the hospital in Fresno with Earvin.

 

This Go Fund Me page has been set up to help the group with medical expenses, living expenses during recovery, and assistance with replacing the personal items, cars, and equipment lost in the fire. 

 

If any of you have had the pleasure of working directly with any of these individuals, you would know that they are hard-working, fun, energetic, amazing individuals. We are truly blessed that they managed to escape what could have been a worse situation, and in doing so, displayed selfless acts of heroism, perseverance, and resourcefulness. We are proud to work beside all these magnificent people who are integral members of our Beverly Hills BMW family. Any assistance that you could give to this amazing group of people will be greatly appreciated not only by the victims but by the entire team here at the dealership.


Thank you