It's November and my town is on fire

sbfluter · Post by **sbfluter** » Thu Nov 13, 2008 9:34 pm

It's 7:30PM, the air is hot and windy, and my town is on fire. It's November for crying out loud. Having your town on fire is supposed to be over by now. Fire season lasts all year long now.

I hear helicopters, smell smoke, and I can see the flames from my house. Fortunately I think the wind is blowing the fire away from me. I don't think I will have to evacuate. I can't even find all my spare bird cages.

MTGuru · Post by **MTGuru** » Thu Nov 13, 2008 10:02 pm

Welcome to the club, Diane. It looks a ways away, the paper says 5 miles from SB. But if you can smell the smoke, that's not good, and 5 miles is nothing for a fast moving fire. If you think there's any risk, you can "prepare to prepare" by identifying the stuff you need to take and getting some things ready. If you need to leave, things move very quickly, and there's no time to think. I've been through 2 wildfire evacuations in the last few years, so just sharing some tips from experience. Good luck and keep us posted!

Innocent Bystander · Post by **Innocent Bystander** » Fri Nov 14, 2008 3:15 am

Smelling the smoke would be a straw in the wind. Stay safe!

sbfluter · Post by **sbfluter** » Fri Nov 14, 2008 8:47 am

It's in the city. Mostly in wealthy Montecito, but some on the poor side of town and in Mission Canyon have been warned to evacuate. There goes even more of my favorite hiking trails. (Some burned this 4th of July and others burned the previous summer on the 4th of July, too.) I'm going to die of lung cancer with all the smoke I've had to breathe living in California.

izzarina · Post by **izzarina** » Fri Nov 14, 2008 8:49 am

Oh my goodness, Diane! I can't even imagine having to endure that....stay safe!

Denny · Post by **Denny** » Fri Nov 14, 2008 11:53 am

odd inni, we're flooding again on this end.

My sympathies, I'd much rather have the flooding I guess. It's taken out most of the side trails, the day hikes, the trails that go up to the PCT on the west side if the range.

Flyingcursor · Post by **Flyingcursor** » Fri Nov 14, 2008 11:54 am

Good luck.

Next it'll be mudslides and then earthquakes. Gotta love Southern California!

The Weekenders · Post by **The Weekenders** » Fri Nov 14, 2008 12:08 pm

Yeah, we just got back from there (visiting Weekender Jr at UCSB). I drove past Montecito twice and we had those big winds on Saturday night. Our boat trip to Santa Cruz Island was cancelled due to winds.

The topography and vegetation sure is fire-prone. I can't figure out a way to build there without being vulnerable.

anniemcu · Post by **anniemcu** » Fri Nov 14, 2008 12:53 pm

May you stay safe! May it end soon and with far less damage than feared.

sbfluter · Post by **sbfluter** » Fri Nov 14, 2008 1:04 pm

Now that I think of it, since these are billionaire mansions burning, probably most of them not even occupied most of the time, this ought to stimulate the local economy. Great time to be in construction and landscaping I guess.

MTGuru · Post by **MTGuru** » Fri Nov 14, 2008 6:52 pm

So you're in no immediate danger now?

cowtime · Post by **cowtime** » Fri Nov 14, 2008 7:56 pm

Wow. I suppose most of us saw this on the news today/tonight. That is truly scary. I sure hope all are safely away.

missy · Post by **missy** » Sat Nov 15, 2008 6:37 am

Hope you all are safe - but remember, it's just "stuff" and "stuff" can be replaced. Life cannot.

My profound statement after surviving a F5 tornado.......

MTGuru · Post by **MTGuru** » Sun Nov 16, 2008 6:02 pm

Calling Fel Bautista in Diamond Bar. Are you OK?

fel bautista · Post by **fel bautista** » Sun Nov 16, 2008 6:37 pm

MTGuru wrote:Calling Fel Bautista in Diamond Bar. Are you OK?

Yes, Thanks John. Its just been REALLY smokey and at 4 o'clock it looks apocalyptic. As soon as I get a photo out of my camera I'll add it to this post. Needless to say, I wasn't driving down to the Auld Dubliner.

As a friend of mine in Michigan just texted- "We are the shake and bake capital of the states"

Here's the link to some photos
http://picasaweb.google.com/piperFel/DiamondBarFire#