Are you Californians all OK?

[quoll]

Just watching the bushfires in Southern California and hope that all you Californian girls are OK. Having been through a significant bushfire here in Canberra a few years ago, my heart goes out to all who are currently under threat.

[robbiesheik]

Thanks for the well wishes. I am pretty close to the Portola fire. It was kinda scary Yesterday. But it seems to be heading away from my area now. The air quality is horrible. I am having major sinus issues but that is nothing compaired to what so many are going through!! Fellow Ruf fan Denise from the yahoo group (who I just found out is my neighbor) , is safe as well. I am not sure if she is on here or not. I feel awful for everyone affected by this and I hope they can get this under control before more homes and lives are lost.

Take care,
Laura

[GreenEyesToo]

I read that the Santa Ana winds aren't helping.

Hope the fires continue heading away from you - but mostly that they die out quickly. Keep safe!

[maxx02]

thank you for the well wishes, quoll. I'm on the beach so we're just getting the smoke... lots and lots of smoke... Not much down here to burn, but buildings and a few palm trees.

[dreamer]

Is somebody next to San Diego? I read it's the most dangerous area.
Hoping it'll end asap.

[etherealtb]

I'm in the city proper, quoll, far enough from the mountains/hills so that I am not affected. But there *was* a small layer of ash on my car/windshield when I came out this morning and the skies look overcast from the smoke yesterday, but that is the most direct affect it has had on me so far.

But I grew up in the Hollywood Hills (a high risk fire area) and I can really feel for what people are going through who live in these areas. Trust me, you jump everytime you here a fire engine coming down the canyon, because you just never know if that will turn into something where you need to evacuate.

I also remember being on the playground as a kid in the late 70's, where there were fires EVERYWHERE (like now) and there was so much ash, it was falling like snow while we were out on the playground during recess. Can you fricking believe they let us out in those conditions? I mean, SERIOUSLY! Thank heavens they would never do that nowadays.

[dreamer]

[rugirl]

I know sometimes we San Franciscans get asked about the fires (I have had numerous family/friends calling/e-mailing about it), but thankfully we are so far away from the fire, it's not an issue.

San Diego is VERY hard hit, though, I have a close friend and work colleague who lives there and she's had to abandon her condo because the fires are literally a few blocks away. The smoke/ash have also been horrible.

Just goes to show you the awesome power of nature, and how little control we have over it..............

Stay safe, fellow Californians....................

[maxx02]

didn't we have fires in SF in the East Bay in '01? Or am I misremembering?

[quoll]

Dreamer, that satellite picture is amazing! The rate at which they developed is also on the NASA site - one moment a think plume and a few hours later those big billowing clouds. We have bushfires every summer somewhere here in Aus and we, in Canberra, thought we were immune until a few years ago when we lost 500 homes in less than half an hour. I work in an area which is responsible for providing personal support in evacuation centres and that was one of those lifetime experiences that I do not wish to repeat!!! I cannot conceive of the enormity of the evacuation which has gone on in SoCal - we were swamped with 3000 people. Last time I looked, California has evacuated more than twice the number of people in our whole city. There are the same features being shown in the general population though - the desire to volunteer and donate stuff, the community coming together etc.

I am glad that all you girls are safe!!!!

Rugirl, as you said - Mother Nature knows how to bring us into line and there is nothing we can do about it!!!

[etherealtb]

quoll said:

Last time I looked, California has evacuated more than twice the number of people in our whole city.

Well, you have to remember, we have a ridiculously large population here in Southern California, which is part of the problem. As housing developments push farther and farther out into the suburbs, they begin to hit areas that are very fire prone. Its the old catch-22.

[rugirl]

maxx02 said:

didn't we have fires in SF in the East Bay in '01? Or am I misremembering?

I seem to remember something like that, but I'm in the south bay, so it didn't affect me down here either. I meant in my original post that people have been asking me about this current fire, just to clarify. Sometimes people forget what a huge state this is and when they hear "California", assume everything is around the corner from you.

I just heard the fires here are the result of arson, that's awful.

Stay safe!

[maxx02]

rugirl said:

maxx02 said:

didn't we have fires in SF in the East Bay in '01? Or am I misremembering?

I seem to remember something like that, but I'm in the south bay, so it didn't affect me down here either.
Stay safe!

I was actually living on the Peninsula that year so they didn't affect me either but I seem to vaguely remember something about it. But of course nothing like what happens in So. Cal.

thank you.

[magicallife]

My heart goes out to all of you who live in the area. We've been through forest fires in Washington state and here in the Black Hills, also. In the latter, we were evacuated and the fire came within a mile of our home; it's just a terrible feeling. I'm glad you all are OK.

[miss october]

I too, hope everyone stays safe!