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So I'm in San Diego...

maxyedor

maxyedor

<b>TOOL PRO</b>
Oct 20, 2005
5,496
3,141
In the bathroom, fighting a battle
Wow, I had flames visible from the top of the hill my house is on yesterday, and crazy winds blowing toward the house, but the fire was contained and out by the afternoon.

My parents are in Tustin off Redhill, about 1/2 mile from the 5 freeway, talking to my mom yesterday she said they were smoked out, but that the fire was still a ways away, gotta give her a call to see what the current status is.

The area over by ElToro and the toll roads always burns, no big surprise there, chances are I won't be able to ride my old favorite trails when I vist my parents next week which sucks. They need some sprinklers out in the hills to wet the area down when the Santa Anas come up, it's a known problem with a relativly simple fix.
 
ultraNoob

ultraNoob

Yoshinoya Destroyer
Jan 20, 2007
4,504
1
Hills of Paradise
spoke to my lil bro a bit ago... he's out of gas, on the side of the road with the fire half a mile away. I can't get to him cuz the freeways are closed and it's gonna take me 2 hours to on the back roads. THIS FRIGGIN SUCKS! I hate feeling helpless. All I can do is pray.

on a good note, one of the fires (San Marcos) has been 100% contained

edit/update: he was able to hitch a ride out. left the car where it is
 
Fonzie18

Fonzie18

Turbo Monkey
Feb 4, 2003
1,418
0
Northern Mexico, Chulajuana (619). Orale!
Ozzer said:
Alf, your neighborhood is bordered by two dry canyons. It's scary.
Otay Lakes Rd near the Olympic Training Ctr is closed to vehicles heading east. This could mean that Harris Fire maybe making its way towards 94 and Otay...scary..

It's pure orange glow here in Chula from all the smoke.
Chula Vista has a dew point of 2..very dry.
This is worst than the 2003 firestorm fo sho...
Click to expand...

Yeah, I know. I'll give an update when I get home.

This certainly seems like it is worse than the '03 fires, in the sense that it is spreading extremely quickly. My dad is helping out with the emergencies in Rancho B. and he says it looks really bad.

I'm moving to CO.
 
loco-gringo

loco-gringo

Crusading Clamp Monkey
Sep 27, 2006
8,887
14
Deep in the heart of TEXAS
Ozzer said:
Alf, your neighborhood is bordered by two dry canyons. It's scary.
Otay Lakes Rd near the Olympic Training Ctr is closed to vehicles heading east. This could mean that Harris Fire maybe making its way towards 94 and Otay...scary..

It's pure orange glow here in Chula from all the smoke.
Chula Vista has a dew point of 2..very dry.
This is worst than the 2003 firestorm fo sho...
Click to expand...
Kevin lives in that area right near that new REI and mall. Isn't that pretty close to Otay Lakes???

He was near the fire fetching his pop up camper earlier today. I already griped him out for being a dummy, but he is still alive.
 
stoney

stoney

Part of the unwashed, middle-American horde
Jul 26, 2006
21,613
7,271
Colorado
My Mom's office, and the homes of all but 2-3 people who work there (of 30) are in the direct path of the fires. Most have been evacuated and are expecting total loss. One home has flames visible when they evacuated this morning. Another had heavy smoke this morning, but a major building 400yds away is confirmed burned.
major Suck
 
Red Rabbit

Red Rabbit

Picky Pooper
Jan 27, 2007
2,715
0
Colorado
I have a friend at UC Irvine. They are currently not allowed to leave the dorms. Some of the on campus apartments were evacuated.

She said it is really hard to breathe outside. They had to breath through wet towels when they left their Bio class to get back to the dorms.
 
Dog Welder

Dog Welder

Turbo Monkey
Sep 7, 2001
1,123
0
Pasadena, CA
The Incident Commander in charge of the fires in San Diego just called for 150 strike teams. There's 5 engines in a strike time. That's 750 fire engines just for San Diego alone! That's more engines than LA City and LA County Fire combined, and they're the two largest fire departments in the state! Resources are seriously tapped.
 
bjanga

bjanga

Turbo Monkey
Dec 25, 2004
1,356
0
San Diego
dont know what to say

I spent about three hours on the freeway today with my bird in the front seat. For some reason watching a parakeet eat seed or sway wildly on a swing perch at 70mph on the freeway is an unnerving experience. The bird cage is next to me, covered by a towel. I cannot see the bird, but I can hear him. I fear for my life. Halp.
 
ultraNoob

ultraNoob

Yoshinoya Destroyer
Jan 20, 2007
4,504
1
Hills of Paradise
I spent 4 hours last night helping evacuees at Qualcomm Stadium. Seeing all those families displaced was heart breaking, but it was inspring how many people were there to help, the endless line of cars dropping off donations, and how many of the evacuees were still able to smile.

I hope it's over soon.
 
Fonzie18

Fonzie18

Turbo Monkey
Feb 4, 2003
1,418
0
Northern Mexico, Chulajuana (619). Orale!
I'm still at work. But the fire is really, really close to my house. My parents are packing up the motorhome and waiting for the call to be made. When I came home last night the fire was behind mount miguel, this morning it was over the mountain, down the hill and lighting up the houses on the outskirts of Chula Vista/Bonita/Eastlake, it moved several miles west in about 5 hours, pretty insane.

Pic that my friend sent me from the Otay town center this morning at arund 8am. That is mount miguel in the background:
 
PatBranch

PatBranch

Turbo Monkey
Sep 24, 2004
10,451
9
wine country
Fonzie18 said:
I'm still at work. But the fire is really, really close to my house. My parents are packing up the motorhome and waiting for the call to be made. When I came home last night the fire was behind mount miguel, this morning it was over the mountain, down the hill and lighting up the houses on the outskirts of Chula Vista/Bonita/Eastlake, it moved several miles west in about 5 hours, pretty insane.

Pic that my friend sent me from the Otay town center this morning at arund 8am. That is mount miguel in the background:
Click to expand...
Sh!t, hopefully your house stays good. You can't link from email. You need to download and upload it somewhere.
 
ultraNoob

ultraNoob

Yoshinoya Destroyer
Jan 20, 2007
4,504
1
Hills of Paradise
Just told my dad that the fire's about a mile from his place. He's evacuating just in case. Good news though, the winds have died down and the plane's are in the air. Navy has sent a bunch of superstallion helo's to do water drops and the feds are sending the C-130 fire bombers.

Alf... thoughts and prayer's goin your way. Stay safe
 
sunny

sunny

Grammar Civil Patrol
Jul 2, 2004
1,107
0
Sandy Eggo, CA
So I have packed up and am ready to load, in case they begin evacuations in my area. I am just northwest of Alf, on the north side of CA-54. It's a very odd sensation... being completely safe and dry and warm, with Internet and electricity and clean air in the house (windows are closed)... all the while knowing that at any moment all that could change.

We don't have a tv, so all yesterday morning I listened to the radio for news of fires spreading and evacuations, etc. By mid-afternoon I was really shaken and almost broke down crying from the stress. I was tempted to call my husband who was at work at Point Loma (USN), but as a Navy wife remembered my "training" of never contacting him in a crisis if there is nothing he can do about it. The "training" stems from being stateside while he is out at sea ("He's got enough to worry about while on deployment, do not concern him with your issues if he can do nothing about it, especially if all you need is a hug. Call your mother.") And I know all it does is make him feel helpless, and is not fair to him.

So I called my parents for a little encouragement.
"Hi honey, how you holding up?" my mom asked me.
"Um... it's getting pretty rough. I've been packing things and getting ready to evacuate. Steve's not home and... I've never been in a fire before." my voice cracked as my eyes welled with tears.
"You just need to trust God that the fire is not going to come near your house. You won't have to evacuate; we're just going to pray about that and--"
I cut her off. This is not what I wanted or needed to hear. Although very well-meaning and faithful, positive-thinking evangelical Christians, my parents weren't offering me much in the way of practical advice for advancing flames.
"Mom. Stop. This is not what I need to hear. I need you to tell me that I have been through a lot worse, with a lot less advanced warning. I need you to tell me that in the end, it's only things, and things can be replaced. That even if you can't keep all the trophies, you will always have the achievements; that even if you can't keep all the photos, you will always keep the memories. That the things around you are always secondary to the people around you. That the people around you need you to be strong, and keep it together, and be an example of calm for them. THIS is what I need you to tell me."
"Well, honey, of course. But you know that."
I laughed. "Well tell me again..."

She reminded me that I'm just like my grandfather (her dad). He was one of the toughest people she ever knew, and was as cool as anyone under fire (so to speak). She has told me for years that I am my grandfather's kindred spirit, and that I can make it through anything. I take great courage from that.

Since that call yesterday afternoon, I've been in a really good frame of mind. I know the fires are coming closer, as I watch the reports on the Internet and watch the line of grey in the sky rise higher and higher, slowly overtaking the blue. I walk around the house and mentally say goodbye to everything, because I hate surprises, and just want to prepare myself.

I've been over to see my neighbor across the street a couple times, to get a pulse on things and look out her back porch that faces south across the 54 and into Bonita. She said she watched the fire creep across Mt Miguel last night, glowing across the night sky. Today the smoke is thick enough that you no longer see Mt Miguel. Here are some of the photos I've takes over the past couple days.


From the neighbor's back porch: Mt Miguel in the distance and a puff of smoke above it



Opposite side of the street - my house. The line of grey is from the fires burning to the north. There are fires bounding us on all sides except the Pacific Ocean side



My house again. The wind was really blowing yesterday



Looking to the southwest - this smoke is coming from yet another fire burning close to the Mexico border



This morning from my neighbor's porch



Looking east again at Mt Miguel, only this time you can't see it



More morning sky






Almost due west - smoke coming from the south



Fine layer of ash on my car



People have been really amazing here. Volunteers have shown up at various shelters with homemade sandwiches and positive attitudes. When asked what they came to do, they told the reporter that, "Well, we figured someone might need our help, so we came."

So, in the sense that there is a huge loss of property and destruction, yeah, it's really bad here. But in terms of attitude and strength and courage, it's really good here. Please keep us in your prayers, that the winds will die down quickly, that the dew point will increase and humidity will rise, and that people will continue to find the best in themselves through this.

Thanks.
-sunny
San Diego 92139
 
sunny

sunny

Grammar Civil Patrol
Jul 2, 2004
1,107
0
Sandy Eggo, CA
Best quote of the day so far...

It's completely quiet in the house as my husband and I take care of the necessary details of possible evacuation. Suddenly I hear him on the phone:

"Hey! Yeah. Um, I was wondering... I know this is kind of an odd question today, but... is the pool open?"

I burst out laughing from the next room. Classic! San Diego is on fire, we face a possible evacuation at any moment, and my husband, having done all his chores, wants to go for a swim. I love it. He gets off the phone after ascertaining that it is indeed closed and asks me with this dopey grin on his face, "What? I want to go for a swim. I don't see a problem here."

Nice.
 
ultraNoob

ultraNoob

Yoshinoya Destroyer
Jan 20, 2007
4,504
1
Hills of Paradise
I grew up in 92139. I have too many friends and family there. My dad is off of the 54 and he said the smoke was really bad. He's already headed to my place in La Mesa. Take Care.
 
Ozzer

Ozzer

Monkey
Dec 21, 2003
611
3
Life Ends at 619
More fires started and getting worse in other areas -Palomar Mountain, Valley Ctr, etc etc.
One big fire is less than 15 miles from us. We're safe where we are.

Here's some pics I posted in the socal forum.
A shot of fonzie18's neighborhood with the Mt. San Miguel fire in the background, far left.


Close up of the chopper making a water drop.


Orange sun with ash fall


Downtown San Diego in the far background amidst the smoke.


The evacuation center at Chula Vista High School. Pretty empty..
 
sunny

sunny

Grammar Civil Patrol
Jul 2, 2004
1,107
0
Sandy Eggo, CA
I just heard on the radio that there is no longer immediate fire danger on the west side of Mt Miguel. They've been dumping water on the area with National Guard helos. Anyone else hear this? Can anyone confirm?

This is tremendous news.
 
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