It was 113 today. I haven't been outside all day, but when I opened the door to let the dog out, this was my view.
This is our second big fire in two weeks. The first was on the other side of town. About 700 people were evacuated, but luckily no structures were damaged. So far, about 100 people have been evacuated in this current fire. It was moving away from structures out towards the Angeles National Forest, but the dry winds are making it unpredictable.
It looks like a bomb has gone off nearby. It's not a concern for where I live, but it's still quite ominous. Fire season is upon us and it's only July!
UPDATE: Now that the sun is down, the flames are visible and it's now even more ominous. It's still too far away to be a problem and to get any kind of shot with the camera.
Wowza. There's a good few little communities living up in those canyons. And Kagel seems to have a few thousand people. Seems nuts though to allow building knowing the place burns regularly.
ReplyDeleteYou are pretty close it seems but unlikely to be dangerously bothered with it ?.
Ya, no it's not that close and across a couple of freeways and mountains, but from where I am (on the top of a hill, looking across to the mountainI can see it from my upstairs window, and from my backyard if I'm on my tippy toes. Otherwise, I would not know it. I worry about the structures below it though. It's been 10 hours now and it's still 0% contained. Often, if it's in the forests, they'll let it burn to clear some of the brush to keep it from happening again, but the fact that I can see if coming over the mountain makes me think that's not what is happening. It's not a "controlled" burn as far as I can tell.
DeleteFires are always very discombobulating. They look like they're in one spot but are really some where else. The smoke and the wind make it hard to figure out.
In France, Spain and Italy when they have fires they say it's the valleys that are the issue depending on the way the wind is blowing. And because it can change between day and night, with the wind blowing up in the day down at night the fire fighters tend to stay WELL back once they start.
DeleteIn Oz, they used explosives to clear fire breaks. But there they have trees- the eucalyptus- that will spontaneously combust. I think you have a few that do that too. So in mighn't be some little twinky with a can of Pepsi and a mountain bike.
For sure, anything can make the brush go. We had enough rain this year to get it growing, but not enough to make it anything more than kindling. It catches fire so easily. The last one was caused by a car accident on the freeway. There hasn't been any word, that I've heard, on the cause of this one. Certainly hope it wasn't on purpose, and the likelihood of it being something random is great.
DeleteI was just reading that the wind has kicked back up, which is making it hard to manage. From the distance, it looks like the entire ridge is lit up with orange Christmas lights. I wish I could capture what I am seeing on camera because it's very dramatic.
I always think about you now when I see reports of fires in the LA area. Fire is such a scary thing! Do they ever do any proscribed burning out there in an effort to clear some of the brush? My husband was a forester in an "earlier life" and he's a big proponent of using that as a preventative measure.
ReplyDeleteI know the heat isn't helping things, either. We might not be getting to triple digits yet (perhaps today?), but the humidity is SO high it's almost suffocating to walk outside. I literally start to drip with sweat in a matter of minutes.
I'm glad it's too far away to get a good shot because what you've shown is scary enough!
Yes heat vs humidity is ALWAYS a conundrum isn't it? But I am much happier living with hot and dry (although with all the cloud blasting they're doing due to the drought we've had many more humid days than in the past) than with that high high humidity you get. At least here I can take a shower and not need another shower. :) It's been 10% humidity the last two days which is VERY dry....as I said, fire season. It was yellow outside this morning and now it's very very dark. Today was supposed to be warmer than yesterday, but it ended up being about ten degrees cooler, I think because the sun was essentially blocked out by the smoke for much of the afternoon. A silver lining, I guess.
DeleteAs of now, it's about 10% contained. There have been more evacuations but previous ones have been lifted so it is moving away from civilization. What they are dealing with now, is most of those living out there are farm/ranch-like places and they need to find places to put the big animals. The local colleges have allowed them and many have offered to transport in trailers and what not. It's nice to see people stepping up and helping out.
Oh, I forgot to answer your question, yes, they often do controlled burns and will often let brush fires burn more of the forest just to get a handle on the brush. I don't know how much they do near the homes as preventative though. It's quite windy and those fires can change direction in no time at all.
DeleteWe just got a call a week or so ago that our water restrictions were lifted and reasonable use is now allowed. We've had two fires since then with tons of water tankers and tenders. I imagine they won't be lifted for long if this continues.
Oh wow - it's one thing to hear and read about these via news sources, but to get a first hand report makes it more real. Hope there is containment soon and you are in no way threatened.
ReplyDeleteNo, I am quite far, just in the line of sight which unnecessarily heightens the worry. But thank you.
DeleteI could still see the flames from parts of my street this morning, but I think they've moved it away from the edge of the mountain. Now the sky is just BLACK. With the winds, communities up to 60 miles away are seeing the smoke. Luckily, the area is mostly uninhabited.
Fires in So CA is almost a yearly affair. Earlier in the spring there was fire on the coast of the Santa Barbara area. DD1 were safe but the Doggie Dude ranch where the pups stay when we are there, was evacuated but not harmed.
ReplyDeleteYah, it's so scary. This one continues to rage eastward. It's now threatening homes in the Antelope Valley. It's SOOO windy and dry. My backyard is covered in ash. Last night it cooled off a bit and didn't feel as dry, so I hoped to wake this morning with better news. That's not the case. I read a report today that people who couldn't get their big animals out during the evacuation just let them "free" in hopes they could get themselves moved out. There are now people posting about found animals on Facebook. It breaks my heart.
Delete113 degrees. That is insane. Absolutely insane. It was 102 here today in Philly and I thought I was going to die.
ReplyDelete