This is 2003 all over again. I hope to god that it doesn’t turn out as disastrously. Yesterday, I was out downtown with Lisa and we noticed that the air was extremely smoky, enough to irritate our throats and lungs. Back at her house, we found only a little information online about three fires in San Diego County. The smoke seemed to have diminished somewhat by evening, but I closed all my windows and turned my air filters up as high as they could go before I went to bed. I can smell smoke anyway as I type.
This morning I was woken up before 7 a.m. by a call from my brother: he is visiting family in New England and heard that his brother-in-law needed to evacuate. Could he stay at my house if the shelter was full? Of course. I called Stephen twenty minutes ago and he said that Poway hasn’t had a mandatory evacuation yet--just an “advisory” one. He is safely ensconced at his parent’s home and will call if anything drastic changes.
I have been trying to find out more online. What I can glean is that there are nearly a dozen wildfires burning in Southern California, at least six of which are in my county. One fire has been attributed to a downed electrical line. The reason so many fires have erupted all at once is due to weather conditions known locally as “Santa Anas.” Santa Ana conditions bring extreme dips in humidity coupled with high temperatures and high winds blowing in from the east, rather than off the coast as they do under normal circumstances. What this means is that the risk of fire skyrockets and once the fires start they are very difficult to contain.
I have lived in San Diego off and on (mostly on) since 1989. While fires have always been somewhat of a problem in this area, I had never witnessed what they are now calling “firestorms” before 2003. Now, a mere four years later we are experiencing this form of disaster once again. Drought conditions are worsening; how can anybody deny that major climactic change is afoot? I’m frightened for what it bodes for our future.
Updates on fire conditions can be found here on the local news site. The SD County emergency site has the most up to date information, particularly about evacuations and such.
I will update this post as I learn more. Be safe.
11:56 a.m.
So far over 100,000 acres have burned; interstate 15 remains closed for several miles between the 78 and the 56. Those of you who live in the area should consider offering help if you are not directly impacted by the fires: shelters, especially the big one at Qualcomm, are in need of blankets, towels, shampoo, and pet food. Lisa and I have put our names on the list for the Humane Society to take in extra animals. Many evacuees are not able to take their pets with them to shelters, so think about calling the HS with your info to help. We are also taking water to the Qualcomm shelter, as well as some pet food.
2:26 p.m.
The names of the fires (in relative order of size) are the Witch Creek Fire, Harris Fire, Guajito Fire, Rice Canyon Fire, Coronado Hills Fire, McCoy Fire, and Descanso Fire. The Witch Creek and Guajito Fires are burning right through the corridor that wasn't burned in the 2003 Cedar Fire. There is also another unnamed red dot on the map up by the Rice Canyon Fire, and two friends who live in rural zones have told me that new fires keep igniting all over the place. It looks like 1/5 of the entire county (area-wise, not population-wise) has been evacuated at this point, even some areas along the coast. Lisa and I are leaving right now to take water, pet food, towels, and blankets to Qualcomm. I'm going to wear my heavy duty particle mask while I'm out. I'd rather look like a freak than damage my already struggling lungs.
6:38 p.m.
I just got home. I am very happy to report that there was a huge line of people at the stadium waiting to make donations. Stuff was piling up so much they had to keep taking truckloads of it away. I've never seen so many pillows in my life. In the queue on the way to the drop-off point, there was a woman driving a car full of five large dogs--three Malamutes and two Newfoundlands. Beautiful puppies! I rolled down the window and asked her if she had enough food for them all--we had a 20 lb. bag of dog chow in the trunk. She said she was ok. On the way home, the sunset was a dramatic glowing red orange. It was spectacularly beautiful, except that it made both Lisa and really solemn, because we knew what kind of destruction was causing the riotous haze.
And now the winds are picking up--it's awful--the palm trees are wearing all their fronds on one side as the wind pushes into them. Another night of 50-75 mph winds spells disaster, and the particular problem with Santa Ana winds is that they don't die down during the night at all like the normal winds do. They are actually increasing. The two biggest fires, the Witch Creek and Harris Fires, are barely 5% contained right now. I just found out that the Harris Fire is ZERO% contained. The smoke is filling up the entire southern sky with a muddy haze. It's terrible to see.They said on the radio that none of the firefighters are being allowed to go home--they are staying on and working in shifts. Half of them rest as the other half go out to confront the flames. And we are witnessing the largest evacuation San Diego has ever seen--more than a quarter of a million people have now been displaced. But here is a spot of good news: the Coronado Hills fire, near San Marcos, has been 100% subdued and people are being sent back home. It was one of the smallest fires, but I'm grateful for any victory at all over this conflagration.
10-23, 6:37 a.m.
This is worse than 2003 by far. The Witch Creek Fire is 0% contained and is going to burn its way to the ocean. It's even spread north, now, too, and last night at 9 p.m. it had already burned 145,000 acres. Who knows what it has grown into overnight. The Harris Fire is 5% contained. It hurts to write this.
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