SoCal fires

[Ishmael]

The air is full of ash. Wind buffets everything. Smoke permeates everything and makes breathing scratchy. School canceled, days before midterms, royally screwing up the schedule. And we can't even go outside! Hospitals evacuated. 98 degrees at the coast. Ugh.

Yeah, so Southern California is burning. We have a major fire in San Diego (and many more brushfires raging). Malibu is apparently dealing with a fire of their own. Multiple fires burning, and most of them totally out of control. Darn chaparral and Santa Ana winds.

Anybody else here dealing with these infernal beasts? My family is packing up the car, just in case we need to evacuate. We're in an optional evacuation area, but it might soon be a mandatory evacuation. But, the fires and unpredictable, so they tell us.

Fires suck.

[Brickwall]

I was just contacted by someone who lives only a few miles away from there. Sounds nasty.

[Raiser Blade]

The air is smoky where i live. We haven't been evacuated though. o_o

[Pyrian]

Many of my co-workers have had to evacuate. Some of my friends are getting ready just in case. I seem to be out of the line of fire, so to speak, although a bad wind change could potentially force me out. The air is bad here at work. I'm thinking of going home where I have an air purifier.

[Amotis]

Yeah, campus just closed for me. I really hope I don't have to evacuate. A number of my friends up in RB and Otay just had to. ****ing insanely surreal. I wish I could like...go fight some fires. I feel kinda helpless.

[sktarq]

You have fires we have the soot. My region burned badly in July-September (over 340 sq. miles) the same winds that are fueling the 14+ fires here in SoCal are launching the ash from that fire into town. To make matters worse there is still a very flamable band right next to the city. :smallmad: On the bright side canceled classes mean an extra day with my friend up on a weekend trip.:smalltongue:

[Amotis]

Hmmm...voluntary evac just applied to where I live.

Bah. I think I should start getting things together.

[Pyrian]

Hopefully the fire won't reach that far, but you'd probably best get out while the evac is voluntary and the roads aren't clogged yet.

[PhoeKun]

Hmmm...voluntary evac just applied to where I live.

Bah. I think I should start getting things together.

You should get out while it's still relatively easy.

...Geez. Stay safe.

edit: And that goes to all of our California-based forumites.

[Pyro]

Last year there were fires in south GA. Wind blew the smoke up north and it was everywhere. We didn't have to evac, but it did get pretty bad. I'm sorta worried about more fires in the near future because we have a pretty bad drought. Sigh....

[DraPrime]

As much as I dislike my state, I have to say that as far as natural disasters go we don't get many. Severe blizzards pretty much it. And that happens almost every year so it's not a big deal.

[Ishmael]

Well, I think that I am in a mandatory evacuation area. That's unusual, as the fires themselves are far away. The extent of the evac areas is incredibly large...

Maybe I should think about getting out while I can.

[Micate]

Yea, I've been sneezing and squinting all day from the ash in the air. My allergies are not doing well under this smoke cloud. Luckily, I am not in any of the evacuation zones, and should be safe from the fires themselves.

[StickMan]

Get out while you guys can I don't need any deaths in the playground threads, they make me sad on the inside. Don't do any of that silly trying to fight the fire yourself thing that just gets people killed.

Stay safe people.

[sktarq]

Yes the evac areas are really big. The reason. We currently have prime hopscotching weather (where the fire spawns new fires downwind beyond firebreaks), with so many fires in the area resources may not be immediatl avalibleto stomp these baby fires, and several fire HQ's have had to be moved multiple times because due to the wind these fires are going very quickly....Voluntary evac zones should get out now.

[Vaynor]

It's crazy, yesterday the sky was dark orange at 3 pm. :smalleek:

The air smells like ash, luckily we're far away enough where we don't have to evacuate.

[Em Blackleaf]

Luckily, I'm far from the fires, but it's all dusty over here, and the wind is blowing a lot.

[A Rainy Knight]

Good wishes to everybody. I know that I'd be worried if there were fires like that where I live. Actually, there was that Shenandoah National Park fire...

Anyways, stay safe.

[Sisqui]

My brother is in San Diego. He lives SW of Miramar. I haven't been able to reach him but he may be mobilized on base. Any playgrounders more familiar with the area than I am (I live in SC) know how close the fires are or if I need to be worried?:smalleek:

[Ishmael]

He shouldn't be in much trouble if he's southwest of MCAS Miramar. That area's pretty safe.

If he was north of it, though, the Witch Fire would be heading straight towards him.

[Sisqui]

He shouldn't be in much trouble if he's southwest of MCAS Miramar. That area's pretty safe.

If he was north of it, though, the Witch Fire would be heading straight towards him.

He's between Mission Bay and Miramar. That's pretty much all I know.

[sktarq]

The worst of it is in the NE part of San Diego County there is another biggie in in the SE part of that county too (Chocolate mountain area) so far everything down thatway is inland a ways and Miramar Base coastal-ish if memory serves so he should be safe for now. (info as of Noon Pacific Coast Time). Lots of troops are tied into Fire service in this area (Note hovercraft Naval lift of trucks to Catalina Island a couple months ago) so he may be getting tied into logistical support for the fire crews. Best wishes.

[Sisqui]

The worst of it is in the NE part of San Diego County there is another biggie in in the SE part of that county too (Chocolate mountain area) so far everything down thatway is inland a ways and Miramar Base coastal-ish if memory serves so he should be safe for now. (info as of Noon Pacific Coast Time). Lots of troops are tied into Fire service in this area (Note hovercraft Naval lift of trucks to Catalina Island a couple months ago) so he may be getting tied into logistical support for the fire crews. Best wishes.

Thanks :smallsmile:

[Curuinor]

SW of the main fires, with the wind blowing SW. I'm waiting for the voluntary evacuation orders. There's little worry about too many people at the shelter, since I'm going to my church, and the air purifiers that I've set up are working, as is the duct tape on the windows, yet I sit here and look at the red sun, and think of the coming zombie apocalypse.

Scratch the zombie apocalypse, actually.

[Raiser Blade]

Yikes we are getting all of the ash. >_< My eyes hurt when i go outside.

[DraPrime]

Wow I feel sorry for all you Californians. Now I think that I don't mind freezing my ass of every year. Except for when I have to shovel the driveway. Nothing compares to the pure hell that can be sometimes.

[Ishmael]

Well, when talking about hell, imagine driving your car up the highway, closer to the fire, and seeing nothing more than a smoky, burning wasteland transplanted out of Mordor...

I'm smack dab in the center of the largest mandatory evac zone, right in between the 15, I-5 and the 56 freeway. My family hasn't moved yet, though, since we're not in any danger of burning. If the fires are reported closer to Rancho Peñasquitos, or go south from Del Dios, we're out.

I heard there are fires around the Fairbanks Ranch community. That's disturbingly close. Grr...

[Ted_Stryker]

He's between Mission Bay and Miramar. That's pretty much all I know.
Here are some maps of the fires and evacuation areas:

http://www.cbs8.com/misc/fires_oct_07/maps.html

The very southwestern corner of the evacuation area beneath the Scripps Poway Parkway touches the very northeastern corner of Miramar. Between Miramar and Mission Beach is more or less between the CBS symbol and the 8 in the Witch Fire evac map. The fires are probably 40-50 miles away from that area as of 830 pm PDT Monday night.

[Serpentine]

Why is it that your fire season is still on as ours is starting? :smallconfused: Keep safe, all. Clean your gutters, fill them with water, dampen the walls, keep buckets handy, block all openings with wet towels etc.

[Krimm_Blackleaf]

My school was closed down for the day around 3 pm. I'm hoping I don't have to go... Well, today. I could really use two days off in a row(I don't go Wednesdays.)

[Telonius]

Where's a Decanter of Endless Water when you need one?

Stay safe out there, folks, and stop posting here when you could be evacuating! :smallfrown:

[Sisqui]

Here are some maps of the fires and evacuation areas:

http://www.cbs8.com/misc/fires_oct_07/maps.html

The very southwestern corner of the evacuation area beneath the Scripps Poway Parkway touches the very northeastern corner of Miramar. Between Miramar and Mission Beach is more or less between the CBS symbol and the 8 in the Witch Fire evac map. The fires are probably 40-50 miles away from that area as of 830 pm PDT Monday night.

Thanks! I got an email from my brother this AM saying he was fine but everything in his area is shut down. Doesn't have to evac though :smallsmile:

[sktarq]

Why is it that your fire season is still on as ours is starting? :smallconfused: Keep safe, all. Clean your gutters, fill them with water, dampen the walls, keep buckets handy, block all openings with wet towels etc.

Quick Background. Southern California has a climate much like Italy, Spain, Capetown SA, or Perth West Oz. It is actually more of three season system than four but as that gets confusing we leave it for climatologist deal with that. We have a long dry season that in many places runs from March-April to late October-late November. Yes 6-8 months without rain every year is normal for us. It's why native Californians are often baffled by summer thunderstorms. Plus rain is not exactly common during the "wet" season anyway. Large parts of the region get 12-24" of rain per year average. This last year was the driest year on record-by a significant margin we are at less than 50% normal and in many areas under 20% normal. Year before that was the second wettest year on record. Thus brush built up thick after the wet year and has been getting toasted since March-we have had one minor rain system through so far but that is not anywhere near enough.

[Sisqui]

Quick Background. Southern California has a climate much like Italy, Spain, Capetown SA, or Perth West Oz. It is actually more of three season system than four but as that gets confusing we leave it for climatologist deal with that. We have a long dry season that in many places runs from March-April to late October-late November. Yes 6-8 months without rain every year is normal for us. It's why native Californians are often baffled by summer thunderstorms. Plus rain is not exactly common during the "wet" season anyway. Large parts of the region get 12-24" of rain per year average. This last year was the driest year on record-by a significant margin we are at less than 50% normal and in many areas under 20% normal. Year before that was the second wettest year on record. Thus brush built up thick after the wet year and has been getting toasted since March-we have had one minor rain system through so far but that is not anywhere near enough.

Yes, I think I read somewhere that SoCal is really just a desert naturally. It is only habitable because they pump in water from northern CA. I seem to recall the article had something to do with water disputes and farming.....:smallconfused:

[sktarq]

There are big deserts in SoCal but we're not actually a desert....not quite but it would certainly seem that way to almost anyone from East of the Mississippi River. Our climate is technically known as Medaterranian which is a sub catagory of semi-desert. There was good (actually some of the best) farming here before the water was brought in but the local system got totally skewed-we dump almost all our rain into the ocean because we paved over everything, pushed our farms away from the places in SoCal that do have some moisture into the deserts, cut down much of the forests that trapped water, built a bunch of waterparks and subdivisions with big green lawns, and had our population grow to a level that would close to max out our water supply even if we hadn't done the above

EDIT: We also swipe a bunch of water from the Colorado River....actually it generally doesn't reach the ocean anymore because of how much we use...but we share the blame on that....For along time we also didn't like tolet ANYTHING burn and so fuel built up-we are still paying for that (hence why the fire in my area was so bad in July-Sept). Oh and for a while it was popular not to plan for major fires...on the assumption that nearby counties would pitch in....even though durring the worst fires it is highly likely that the contions that caused the fire also caused fires in those counties....most of SoCal dropped this idea in the early 90's after a firestorm like this one but not San Diego. While it is really unfortunate for the people effected we really didn't seem to think this one through.....BTW the reason I pay attention I nearly lost my childhood home in one of the major fireseasons in the mid eighties-and the town I live in now nearly burned down a couple years later. (Wheeler and Painted Cave Fires)

[Serpentine]

Sooo what you're saying is... California is basically Australia, down to attitudes and time of fire season :smallwink: Actually, I think I heard that Cali has a lot of eucalypts, too... that can't help.

[Rockphed]

To all who aren't getting out while in Evac zones: Staying behind could cause the rescuers to have to risk their lives. So, please don't stay behind. Not that we don't appreciate the inside scoop on the fire, but we really would rather hear that along with the words "I am fine. The fires are gone."

[Pyrian]

California is basically Australia, down to attitudes and time of fire season :smallwink:

We don't have nearly as much poisonous stuff. :smallcool:

[Ishmael]

Sadly, really. The poison gives Australia a bit of a charm.

Thankfully, the fires don't threaten my area any more. They're burning up Rancho Santa Fe, though. Poor rich people...

Since the winds have died down, the big guns have finally been able to be used. C130s, especially, help a deal.

The ash and smoke has only gotten worse, though.

[TheThan]

That’s good to hear. Though everyone should grab their personal effects (paperwork, ID that sort of stuff) and make like a tree and leaf.


Wish there was something I could do, but I’m too away from the LA area to be of any real help.

[Raiser Blade]

California has two seasons summer and slightly cooler summer with rain every now and again. If you live in the mountain area you get snow though.

It's actually quite nice because most of the time it's sunny. Unlike dreary ol' england *shot*.

[Telonius]

Sooo what you're saying is... California is basically Australia, down to attitudes and time of fire season :smallwink: Actually, I think I heard that Cali has a lot of eucalypts, too... that can't help.

Minus the crocodiles, kangaroos, poisonous everythings, and drop bears. But yeah, pretty much. :smallbiggrin: