PLACER COUNTY, Calif. — Tow truck drivers have been working nonstop during the first winter storm of the season.
One of them helped stranded travelers on Interstate 80.
“It’s nice to have a job that you enjoy,” Mike Stager, tow truck driver with Araco Towing in Placer County, said.
He came to ABC10 reporter Bridgette Bjorolo's aid when her news vehicle got a flat tire during winter weather coverage. However, Stager also survived a storm of his own.
“I had only about 10 minutes to get the animals and some of the paperwork out of the home before it burned down,” Stager said.
Just over a year has gone by since the Colfax native watched everything he worked for go up in flames in the River Fire, but from the ashes, he found more than he lost.”
“Just a positive attitude… an attitude of gratitude basically," Stager said. “Appreciating the things that are around you that sometimes you forget about and overlook… those simple things like spending time with your family are the most precious times and nothing else can replace that.”
Shortly after the fire, he turned to towing to make extra cash.
“I love it," Stager said. “It allows me to get out and help people and have new experiences every day.”
He enjoys is so much that he is working on his 59th birthday, and he offers this message for travelers in life and on the interstate.
“The best advice is if you want to get there fast, take it slow,” Stager said.
Araco Towing has responded to 20 vehicles between Tuesday Night and Wednesday along the snowy interstate.