By C.J. Carnacchio
Leader Editor
Jenny Matteson
Leader Staff Writer
The search for gasoline to run vehicles and generators during the “Blackout of 2003” led swarms of out-of-towners to jam-pack the Oxford area Friday.
Long lines and even longer waits were commonplace at Oxford area gas stations, many of which ran out of fuel due to the overwhelming demand.
Some people chose to camp out at gas-less stations, patiently waiting for the next shipment.
One of those campers was Joe Gillis, of West Bloomfield, who waited at the Oxford Shell station for more than three hours.
The Shell station ran out of gas at 2 a.m. Friday and didn’t receive its 13,600-gallon shipment until 4 p.m.
“My neighbor has a generator that he’s sharing with me,” Gillis said. “I came out to Oxford to make sure we’ve got enough for about three more days, which is about 15 gallons worth. Every five gallons runs the generator for three houses for about 25 hours.”
Ortonville resident David Hart waited at the Shell station for more than five hours.
“The fuel light came on, so I figured I’d better stop here,” he said.
Pontiac resident Gerard Wieczordk waited at the Shell for more than six hours.
“They said the tanker’s on the way, so I hopped in the car and slept for a while,” he said.
Wieczordk said he originally siphoned two gallons of gasoline from a friend and went searching for more fuel and shorter lines. His search ended at the Oxford Shell, when he finally ran out of gas.
Joe Saigh, owner of the Clark and Marathon stations (Uncle Boomba’s) in Oxford, said both his stations were hit hard on Thursday, right after the power went out, and remained steady through Friday.
Saigh said he spent more than 28 consecutive hours on the job helping to keep the two stations running.
“We stayed open for customers, but the Clark normally closes at 11 p.m.,” he said. The Clark station, which handled six times the normal amount of traffic during the gas rush, finally shut down at 9:30 p.m. Friday, when it ran out of gas. It reopened Saturday morning and was still busy.
Uncle Boomba’s handled four times the normal customer traffic.
“We stayed open all night (Thursday) to make sure that everyone got gas,” said Brenda Rogers, manager of Uncle Boomba’s. “We have been absolutely swarmed.”
Uncle Boomba’s ran out of gas for the first time at 9:30 a.m. Friday for about 1? hours, but maintained steady tanker shipments.
Uncle Boomba’s ran out of gas again at 11:30 p.m. Friday. It reopened Saturday morning.
Saigh said both Clark and Uncle Boomba’s sold out of gas cans, ice, liquids (especially water) and D-size batteries.
Curt Strobel, who owns Strobel’s Service (the Marathon station in Leonard), said Friday was “My biggest day ever in 23 years.”
Strobel ran out of gas at 6:30 a.m. Friday, 30 minutes after opening. “It started getting busy Thursday evening,” he said.
Fortunately, the fuel tanker came at 10 a.m. and refilled the station.
Traffic lined up along Rochester Road and E. Elmwood St. to get in Strobel’s station.
“Ninety-nine percent” of the customers were from out-of-town, Strobel said, adding that he spoke with people from Rochester, Royal Oak, Roseville and Warren.
Thankfully, Oakland County Sheriff’s deputies were on hand to direct traffic and maintain order.
“If it wasn’t for the police, it would have been a real fiasco,” Strobel said.
Long lines, long waits and hot weather caused tempers to flare at some stations.
At the Clark station, one dispute between out-of-towners involved a gun.
Acording to a sheriff’s report, Warren resident Douglas Lecureaux, 45, cut in line in front of Pontiac resident Kellie Lee, 25, at the Clark station.
Lee got out of her vehicle and began yelling at Lecureaux, according to the report.
Lecureaux told police he feared for his safety and told Lee to leave him alone.
The report stated Lecureaux then told Lee he had a concealed weapons permit and at the same time showed her his semi-automatic handgun.
Lee then yelled, “He’s got a gun” and fled back to her car, the report stated.
Through independent eyewitness accounts, deputies learned that Lee was acting out of hand and Lecureaux was being ill responsible for showing his weapon, the report stated.
Deputies spoke with both parties about acting responsibly. No citations were issued for the incident.
Two men at Uncle Boomba’s got into a verbal confrontation after waiting in line for more than an hour Friday. Sheriff’s deputies were called to the scene, but no report was taken.
The atmosphere at the Shell station on Friday proved these instances of hostility were the exception, not the rule.
“There’s been no problems here,” said Shell customer Joe Gillis, of West Bloomfield, “Nobody’s even looked at me mean. It’s like a Grateful Dead concert here.”
For those upset by the blackout, Gillis offered some words of wisdom – “If anyone’s upset or frustrated because of the blackout, just remember our soldiers fighting in 130-degree heat in the shade and getting shot at. This ain’t so bad.”
“It’s been sorta like a family here. Everyone comes together in a time of need,” said Shell customer Gerard Wieczordk, of Pontiac. “Everybody’s been getting along, talking to each other. This time next week no one’s going to be talking to each other like we were earlier. Next week everybody’s going to go back to being shy. It’s sort of a bummer.”
“We’re having a ball,” said Shell customer Barry Miles, of Pontiac.
“People were putting blue tarps on the lawn, playing cards, talking and listening to oldies music,” said Shell manager Robin Glover. “Everyone was happy and calm.”