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I drove from San Clemente to Vista this morning and snapped a few photos of the fires at Camp Pendleton. There are several fires all over LA, Orange County and San Diego County. We wake up with ash all over our yards, and it's felt in the lungs and eyes.
San Clemente morning
passing the San Onofre Nuclear plant, going towards the fires
Some commentary: Camp Pendleton is charred, but nobody really minds too much--no loss of life or property. They are hearing the occasional "pop", as unspent ammunition goes off in the hills. Some of the brush has been there for 30 years.
--KOGO AM 600 in San Diego (Clear Channel) has been going commercial-free for the past few days, and is the best source for news, as listeners and aid organizations call in actual accounts.
--It is GRATIFYING to hear churches and aid stations calling to say that they have more volunteers and food than they do evacuees. This is not the exception in San Diego, but the rule.
--Pets and livestock are being taken in by nearly all boarding houses not affected (gratis). Those unaffected that have horse trailers are either dropping off food, or hauling out animals in jeapordy.
I have had two friends lose houses where they once lived, but luckily their present houses have escaped the flames. One of my friends in Scottsdale tells me that his entire extended family in San Diego (Fallbrook, Pauma Valley) have evacuated to friends houses in Orange County.
Bottom line, while there are more evacuees than Katrina, it ain't Katrina. The government, private companies and charitable organizations are working like a well-oiled machine. People here know that when the Santa Ana's blow, there will be fire.
That is truly encouraging to read. It is really unfortunate that people in San Diego is going thorugh this difficult challenge. We send our prayers and thoughts for those who must overcome their current crisis. Thank you for posting this news from the front.
I'm so sad that so many people are losing their homes and particularly saddened by the loss of life. These pictures really bring this home to me. Seeing news on tv, etc. isn't as personal as seeing pics from someone with whom we often converse on the forum. Best wishes.
Believe it or not, while the Cedar Fire of two years ago took out more homes, this is a bigger fire. Most of the people who are told to evacuate, actually listen. Fires move a lot quicker than you can imagine--all it takes is one little ember. There are still neighborhoods where the Cedar Fire hit that are still concrete slabs.
In two weeks San Diego will be back to normal, except for those who lost everything. They will be working through this tragedy for years to come.
Valentine--the loss of life is extremely low. Five casualties out of 1 million evacuaees is truly a miracle.
Our local weather guy super-imposed the distance of the CA fires on a MI map - it was a real eye opener. No wonder they can't control things. I certainly hope things improve soon.
I saw a post by traveler from day before yesterday saying the fire was nearing his house and he was prepared in case he had to leave. Anyone heard from him since??
Originally Posted by MsPerky,Oct 24 2007, 04:05 PM
I saw a post by traveler from day before yesterday saying the fire was nearing his house and he was prepared in case he had to leave. Anyone heard from him since??
Brian heard from Picturepro (Bill) that his home (Traveler's/Brian) was still there yesterday, but then last night things got worse in his area again. I haven't heard any word today. Picturepro has a thread in the So Cal forum with photos he's taken of the fire.
Some very dramatic photo's. As Valentine mentioned, it is one thing to see the video's on television, it is totally another when people you have met are involved . Hopefully, the firefiighers will get this under control soon.
When I drove down I-5 to San Diego in September I was amazed as to how dry everything looked. We that live in areas that get that dry just can't imagine what a fire storm is like.
10-24-2007, 12:39 PM
SoCal Fires -- pictures & comments
I'm so sad that so many people are losing their homes and particularly saddened by the loss of life. These pictures really bring this home to me. Seeing news on tv, etc. isn't as personal as seeing pics from someone with whom we often converse on the forum. Best wishes.
