Nooo! Winnebago Man’s cabin burned down

If you’ve seen the documentary about the Winnebago Man, Winnebago Man, you may remember that Jack “The Winnebago Man” Rebney is nearly blind from glaucoma and has been living alone in a cabin with his dog near Redding in Northern California for the past few years. (Additional trivia: Jack’s son Bjorn Rebney is the CEO of Bellator Fighting Championships, the second-biggest Mixed Martial Arts promoter behind Zuffa). According to the makers of the documentary, Rebney’s home burned down last week in the Ponderosa wildfire. Somehow, I know this is all because Tony wouldn’t stop slamming that f*cking door.

“Winnebago Man,” the famous star of a viral video that earned him the title of ”World’s Angriest Man,” says he is satisfied that he and his dog, Buda, escaped the Ponderosa Fire, which destroyed his Manton home.
“I’m going to be much lighter as a direct result of (not needing) all the stuff I had,” said Jack Rebney, 82. He continued, without swearing once in the entire interview, “That’s OK. My dog and I got out.”
Rebney, a retired television news producer whose profanity-laced tirade has been viewed by millions, said a neighbor helped him make it out of the fire Saturday as flames enveloped his property.
They traveled up Rock Creek Road to Highway 44, and Rebney said he’s staying with friends in Shingletown.
“It was crowning right at the route going out; we were right in the midst of it,” he said. “I lost the house, I lost the barns, all of it. … it was a monster, a really big fire.”
Neighbors helped him pack up an antique chest his grandparents brought with them when they immigrated to the United States, along with family mementos and his computer. [Redding.com]

That’s awful! If only he’d been living in some kind of… mobile… home, that would allow a person to escape the path of a fire with all their belongs. Oh cruel irony.

Here’s a letter from the filmmakers:

Dear friends & fans of Jack Rebney,

Jack Rebney’s home was destroyed in the Ponderosa wildfire in Northern California last week.

We are grateful to report that Jack’s neighbors were able to rescue him and his dog Buda, just before the fire reached his cabin.

Sadly, Jack’s home and his belongings were completely destroyed.

We’ve been in touch with Jack over the past week, and he would like people to know that he and Buda are OK, and that with the help of his family and friends, he is getting relocated, and plans to stay in Northern California.

If you feel moved, please let Jack know that you are thinking of him, and share your well wishes and words of encouragement. You can write to Jack directly at:

Jack Rebney
P.O. BOX 492
Manton, CA 96059

We will continue to be in touch with Jack over the coming weeks and months, and will share any updates via the film’s Facebook and Twitter pages.

UPDATE 9/5: Thank you for all your emails and tweets. Like many of you, our initial reaction was to set up a relief fund, but Jack asked us not to. We wanted people to have a way to connect with Jack directly, and he gave us permission to share his information here.

With gratitude,

The WINNEBAGO MAN Documentary Filmmakers

Ben Steinbauer
Joel Heller
Malcolm Pullinger [WinnebagoMan]

Jack Rebney seems like exactly the kind of curmudgeonly old SOB who would refuse any kind of charity, but if you could do me a kindness – can you do me this one kindness? If you’re paying attention, Winnebago, the least you could do is to get this man a Winnebago.

I like to think of “Tony” as a figment of Jack Rebney’s imagination to whom he addresses all observations, queries and rhetorical questions, much like “Tommy” is to Jason Statham.

[hat tip: Fightlinker]

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