SMART offering free service as a result of Sonoma County fires

http://www.sonomamarintrain.org/node/153

They're doing this to help out those evacuating the area. The fires have devastated parts of the city of Santa Rosa and are still ongoing.

I didn't realize how close the fires came to the SMART line. In this video from the LA Times, you can see a train roll past the still-smoldering ruins of a neighborhood.

https://twitter.com/latimes/status/918271257358905350?refsrc=email&s=11

I wonder how these fires will impact SMART ridership long-term? The fires appear to have displaced thousands of people, and surely some of those people commuted on the train. Obviously many will rebuild (eventually) but you have to wonder what will happen to ridership in the meantime.

I know, people have lost their lives and possessions, so probably not the most critical concern at the moment...