My friend finally replied, they’ve been evac’d till at least tomorrow, but at least it looks like the worst of the fire is now burning eastward into open land.
Even though they hadn’t officially let us know we can go back, I came home to get some stuff. There were fire engines leaving the neighborhood as I approached and there were no restrictions on reentering, so there was no need to pick up stuff and after returning to our friends to pick up our stuff, we are home again. (We always keep the important stuff boxed up and ready to go in case of fire of earthquake.)
I rode through the neighborhood and have never seen so many fire engines and personal standing guard at all strategic points. I gave them all big Thumbs ups! I saw no homes that had any fire damage in Cowan Heights, though there were some big pink houses at the bottom of the hill next to Peter’s Canyon. Those solar collectors aren’t doing squat at this point! (http://largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-cool.gif)Cowan Heights is an unincorporated area of about 512 homes and it the “crown jewel” of Orange County. As I said, they always go all out to protect us.
When I went to the edge of Cowan Heights that look northeast, I could see hundred/thousands of acres of charred land, but absolutely none from my house because of an intervening ridgeline.
Thanks to all who responded and wished us well.
Hmmm…, it seem that I have a call of concern from George Schreyer on the answering machine. Haven’t talked to him in years.
Good to hear from ya! (https://largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-laughing.gif)
Our thoughts are with you!
Glad to see you were able to get back home. Up here in Northern California, the situation is still pretty fluid, although the weather is starting to cooperate. My daughter’s evacuation order has been lifted but people are advised not to come back at this time if not absolutely necessary. Smoke and hazardous air quality is all over the Bay Area. I am 40-50 miles away but had to close up the house to cut down on the smoke. I just went to pharmacy to pick up an inhaler and now have a sore throat from being out in it.
Todd Brody said:
Even though they hadn’t officially let us know we can go back, I came home to get some stuff. There were fire engines leaving the neighborhood as I approached and there were no restrictions on reentering, so there was no need to pick up stuff and after returning to our friends to pick up our stuff, we are home again. (We always keep the important stuff boxed up and ready to go in case of fire of earthquake.)
I rode through the neighborhood and have never seen so many fire engines and personal standing guard at all strategic points. I gave them all big Thumbs ups! I saw no homes that had any fire damage in Cowan Heights, though there were some big pink houses at the bottom of the hill next to Peter’s Canyon. Those solar collectors aren’t doing squat at this point! (http://largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-cool.gif)Cowan Heights is an unincorporated area of about 512 homes and it the “crown jewel” of Orange County. As I said, they always go all out to protect us.
When I went to the edge of Cowan Heights that look northeast, I could see hundred/thousands of acres of charred land, but absolutely none from my house because of an intervening ridgeline.
Thanks to all who responded and wished us well.
Hmmm…, it seem that I have a call of concern from George Schreyer on the answering machine. Haven’t talked to him in years.
That’s great news, Todd. Glad to hear the railroad survived too without incident.
Wow , glad you and your family are all right .
Gregory Hile said:
Glad to see you were able to get back home. Up here in Northern California, the situation is still pretty fluid, although the weather is starting to cooperate. My daughter’s evacuation order has been lifted but people are advised not to come back at this time if not absolutely necessary. Smoke and hazardous air quality is all over the Bay Area. I am 40-50 miles away but had to close up the house to cut down on the smoke. I just went to pharmacy to pick up an inhaler and now have a sore throat from being out in it.
You guys are suppose to get a pretty big rain storm later this week, that should help alot with the fire.
Good to hear your back home Todd, my friend still hasn’t been let back home just yet.
Korm Kormsen said:
Todd,
if you are insured, grab documents and old family pics and just get out!!!
as civilian you can do next to nothing against that fire, but while staying you add another liability to the firefighters.
as local firechief i love civilians that get in the way, when we are firefighting!
sniff, sniff sniff.
Gee, that smells like sarcasm to me. (https://largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-wink.gif)(https://largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-smile.gif)
Just a comment. Those of us in the south west are well aware of the price paid by our firefighters in protecting us.
Opens October 20th… getting good reviews
David Maynard said:
Korm Kormsen said:
Todd,
if you are insured, grab documents and old family pics and just get out!!!
as civilian you can do next to nothing against that fire, but while staying you add another liability to the firefighters.
as local firechief i love civilians that get in the way, when we are firefighting!
sniff, sniff sniff.
Gee, that smells like sarcasm to me. (https://largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-wink.gif)(https://largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-smile.gif)
Nope just honesty. From those who have dealt with the civilians in the way. You put our lives in more danger than they already are. If you don’t wear the boots don’t sing your songs.
That’s sarcasm(https://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-cool.gif)
In the way? Naw, never happens.
So I want for my massage and to the market, and as I was leaving the sheriff blocked off our neighborhood. I figured residents could come back, but no…,
So, I’m sitting out at the intersection with groceries spoiling and ice cream melting, and 1/2 hour later they lifted the evacuation and I could return with runny ice cream.
Bear with me; I’m getting old and I get mawkish at times. It’s just that I feel with thousands of people still recovering in Houston and thereabouts from the hurricanes and floods, with thousands more just beginning their recoveries in Florida, with our fellow citizens in Puerto Rico coping with an island that has been nearly completely devastated, with dozens of lives senselessly destroyed and hundreds of families grieving in the wake of Las Vegas, and now we have these deadly and destructive fires in California, we can only hope that the end of these disasters is in sight and people can catch a breather and maybe go about the process of physical, spiritual, emotional, and financial healing.
John Passaro said:
…mawkish… It’s just that I feel with thousands of people still recovering … we can only hope that the end of these disasters is in sight and people can catch a breather and maybe go about the process of physical, spiritual, emotional, and financial healing.
Indeed.
And I have to look that word up.
Greg Elmassian said:
In the way? Naw, never happens.
Ugly fire in my corner of the country (Kenai peninsula, Alaska) that could have been much, much worse a few years ago. Mostly coniferous forest, , with the vast majority of trees being beetle killed spruce - aka ‘gasoline on a stick.’ The fire prevention folks recruited folks to cut brush a hundred yards deep into the right of way at key points along the roads, left the trees standing. Then the fire started - elsewhere it raced, flames shooting 60-80 feet in the air. Entire ridgelines ‘lit up.’ But where the brush had been cut, the fire fizzled. What was left of the brush burned, but it lacked the fuel to burn very long, and mere scorched the tree trunks instead of igniting them.
But, for over a week, I drove along a road that featured scorched dirt reaching to within ten feet of the blacktop, still smoking in some places and actively on fire in others (little fires, and lots of fire trucks). Fire never did cross the road. To further contain the blaze, the fire crews latched onto the biggest cats they could find and punched though long firebreaks into the wilderness (several miles.) Which is where the above pic becomes sort of relevant.
One of these firebreaks had to pass through a sort of combination scrapyard/trailer park occupied by…less than savory characters well known to local law enforcement. Their monumental piles of junk (trashed cars, mostly) were in the way and these people were nowhere to be found. So they dozed the cut right through the middle of the mess. Afterward, the Borough (county to most of you) made those people clean up that scrap pile.
Perhaps of interest, Wildland Firefighting Terms
http://firetracker.scpr.org/resources/wildland-firefighting-terms/
John, wholeheartedly agree on the need for a break from all this. Funny thing is, in search of a little respite, on Sunday afternoon I drove from Sonoma County to Napa (to a train/hobby store that I had never been to, no less, on the off-chance they might have something I didn’t know I needed but couldn’t live without) and there were huge plumes of thick, black smoke emanating from what turned out to be an auto dismantling facility, aka a junkyard. Little did I know that a few hours later, and totally unrelated, all hell would break loose. So much for a little respite, but I did pick up some styrene sheets on sale for $1.99.