It’s January 14, 6:30 in the evening. At 5 pm a brush fire started 3 miles from our house. It was 87F this afternoon, with more heat to come, and winds 30-50 mph. The wind is pushing it in our direction. There is a 4-6 lane freeway between the fire site and our house, and multiples of houses. All it takes is a few sparks blown on the wind, and all hell can break loose.
I am not happy. No rain except a shower in 4 months. Global warming, of course, does not exist, and all this is “weather”. Here is the twitter link: https://twitter.com/VCFD+
Ink, Yarn & Beer 
Praying that the fire will be contained. Praying for your personal and property safety.
Be safe. Be ready. Take necessities and pets. Leave before you really need to. And with all that, I hope you stay safe and sound in your home and that this passes. Hang in there.
We need additional buttons on our blog posts. “Like” just didn’t do it this time. “Caring” would have been better. I remember living in the San Fernando Valley. We would get the Santa Ana winds from one side and the fire and winds from over the Santa Susana mountains. Good luck and stay safe.
You know, in my blog the other day, I wasn’t suggesting that you hurry along with an emergency to test your preparations!
Blimey Naomi get the hell out of dodge!
Egad. Good luck.
News this morning is that the fire is under control, but please post updates. And stay safe!
Stay safe and good luck.
Thanks, guys! The fire is out . . . the wind and heat continue.
Thanks, Kathy – fire is out – J&T offered us refuge should we need it, dogs and all. That is nice!
Thanks, Jim. Egad indeed. Fire out, wind still windy.
Fraggy, it is easier said than done. I would, but familial ties are strong here, and then the next question is where? I would like Oregon, but as my husband telecommutes and “must return to the office at some point” there are no places to go except large urban centers. We have researched the ones “approved” are far worse than where we are politically and perhaps seismically. 20 years with a company and good benefits are not easy to come by, as well as an IT job where you are not expected to die for The Company!
Oh, too funny! Your comment is the first smile today, and thank you for making me laugh! Mother Nature works in mysterious ways. However, it is a good reminder.
Thank you, Anne. The Santa Susannas are just over the hill; we have the Santa Monicas to the south, and dunno about to the north. Fire is out, which is good, but once more beautiful Idyllwild is up in flames.
Thank you Fabio! We are okay, with offers of refuge from in-laws; thoughts and prayers are much appreciated.
lol I just meant while the fire is on the way!
Naomi I hope you’re safe. That is so scary and of course I haven’t seen anything on the news about it. I hope someone does something to help
Hi Aly! Thanks for the good thoughts. You have hurricanes in Florida, so we get to enjoy different terrifying natural events. Where I live we have an excellent fire department and county services. The are that went up in flames is part of the open space within the city. Although we are in the county just north of Los Angeles, we have perhaps less than 1/10 the population. Our home is in the suburbs, surrounded by other houses. In fire situations, the primary goal is preservation of homes and such. Something like 5 companies showed up, probably 20+ firefighters, 3 helicopters, and probably 10 trucks.
A few years ago, in the opposite direction, a small park I was driving by suddenly caught fire. Smoke everywhere, and flames. In a matter of minutes, I had to pull over and watch as about 15 trucks drove by, sirens wailing. Then I could move on. In 30 minutes I was back on the road home, fire out, trucks gone. Fires are something we expect here, but the problem is that it is worsening every year, and it is affecting all the west.
That is funny! But our thoughts on moving have been serious. 20 years ago we were thinking of New Zealand! We both were highly qualified to emigrate.
We have emergency alerts on our phones (mobile and land) as well as are very aware of the smell of smoke . . .
I’m glad they’re so good
scary biscuits. How’s it going now?
So, for those of us who went to bed worrying about you–did the fire abate?
I hope you dodged the fire. Please give us an update. Take care!
Are those winds typical for you this time of year?
We get east winds – Santa Anas – periodically throughout the year. IMO they are getting worse and more frequent. Couple the winds and rugged terrain and drought, you get horrible conditions for fires. In Ventura County we have seen 2 major fires, and usually there are several small ones, such as the one I wrote about. I use to enjoy them, but no longer as the presage destruction in too many cases. Thing of the chinook, simoom, mistral – all winds in certain areas. They get worse at night, too, when the land cools and the heat of the ocean (or something like that) pulls them more strongly to the coast.