San Diego County wildfires

Hello angels,

Several large fires and many small ones are raging out of control in the County of San Diego. Many homes have been lost and many more are threatened. I can see the smoke from my house, but right now we are safe. Fire is heading toward my area from three directions. All schools in San Diego County have been closed for tomorrow and probably Friday. I will not be reporting to work tomorrow. San Diego County has been declared a state of emergency. Please pray for the many people who have lost their homes and are staying in evacuation centers. One is a few miles from me.

Kathy

Praying for them and all others in troubles way.

Oh me too, Kathy! I am so worried for your family -- please keep us updated as you can throughout the day.

Marianne

Oh Kathy,

Also from me as well. This is horrible. Please be safe and check in when you can.

Terry

Hope all remains well with your family and home. Please check in when you can.

I just lost a very long update when I tried to post it.:o

Anyway, we are fine for now. Air quality is bad. There is ash flying everywhere.

Weather calls for high (Santa Anna) winds and temps from 104-106 today. Very dangerous conditions. Most of the fires remain 0% contained. More fires are expected to erupt today.

Many displaced pets and wildlife unable to escape. :o

Very tired, up all night watching the news and going outside to watch for flames on the mountains. We are surrounded by very dry mountains on three sides. :o

More later.

It's a 106 degrees right now. :eek::eek::eek:The power grid is overworked and has been surging off and on for the last few hours. If we lose power, we lose our AC and it's damn hot!!! At least we have AC, so we are better off than many.

The fires rage on. The smoke doesn't seem to be worsening, so that is hopeful. Rosie is oblivious to all the turmoil. She is just thrilled that I'm home with her today. Crazy little monkey girl! :)

Love you all,
Kathy

Oh no I hope you are ok and I hope Sonja is ok too:eek::eek::eek::eek:

Tons of prayers being said and sent for you and the people of San Diego. Please do let us know how you are doing, when you can.

Love and hugs, Lori

Praying for you, your family and all those affected. I hope they manage to get control of things soon.

Pleased to hear that little Rosie is doing well and not worried.

Stay safe

Oh Kathy,

Praying you and yours continue to be safe. Are you thinking of evacuating at this point? Watched on the news, very bad situation.

T.

thank you all for posting about the fires. We have over 9 fires throughout the county. I am not near the fires, but it could change.
Over 13,000+ have been evacuated. Some homes have been lost.
They have shelters for pets, dogs, etc. horses. grateful for that.
We need your prayers.
Sonja

So good to hear from you Sonja. I am relied to hear that you are okay. ((((Hugs))))

Evacuating is still a possibility at this point. This is the 4th time that we have had to prepare to evacuate. The wind seems to be blowing in the opposite direction for now because the air is a little clearer to breathe. We are at the west end of town and are surrounded by very dry mountains on three sides. It's hard to stop a fire being fueled by dry brush, high winds and scorching temperatures. Firefighter are being spread very thin from battling so many fires throughout the county. The military from Miramar Marine base are helping by flying helicopter and planes and dropping water. They also have the capacity to fly through the night. Firefighters are arriving from nearby states to help. Everything is being done that can be done at this point. I am feeling confident that my area will be saved. I'm sure that others with charred home have thought that too.:o

My biggest concern is for tomorrow. My school district has reopened school for tomorrow, so I have to go to work. I am nervous about leaving my folks (in the eighties) and Rosie. Neither of them hear well and may not hear an evacuation call. One time the neighbor's fence caught on fire (a cigarette). My dad slept through the whole thing. Firetrucks, sheriff's and a paramedic arrived with sirens blaring. He never heard them!:eek::eek::eek: I am worried!!

Thanks for all the love and support angels.

EEEEEK!!! :eek::eek: Hope you and your whole families are safe Kathy and Sonja, scary times. xx

Kathy, this is just awful. I am thinking about you and Sonja and praying that they get the fires contained and that you all remain safe.

Hugs,
Tina and Jasper

Sonja - good to hear from you and know ya'll are safe so far!

Kathy - I think I would tell the school to go jump in a lake til the threat is gone if the fire is that close. The school area may not be as threatened as it sounds like your area is.

Ya'll please take care and be ready to go asap...and keep checking in. I heard the number of wildfires there so far this year, which is only 5 months old, and it was unreal!

Sonja, good to hear you are okay.

Kathy - I would call in and not go into work - extenuating circumstances and I am sure they will understand.

Terry

I have been up all night again monitoring fire activity. I went outside a few minutes ago (4:00 AM) to check for flames. None in site at the moment and the air smells somewhat better. Possibly less ash. The power grid is still unstable with many surges. I can hear helicopters circling. That doesn't mean the fire is close. I can always hear them in the distance.

I am feeling exactly the same way that I did when Buddy was dying and I had to leave him to go to work. Déjà vu. I don't get it. Why in the hell are they reopening the schools on Friday when it's going to be stifling hot again and fire danger is still present? Just stressed and venting!

We are okay for now. I hope Sonja is too.

Man, I don't get it, either. That just seems nuts to reopen school today! :confused: :mad:

It's the same dumb logic that helped bring Atlanta to its knees (and made us a national laughingstock) during our snowstorm this winter. They knew the storm was coming but let the schools open anyway, and that made the traffic issues a gazillion times worse. For us, it was mainly inconvenience. For you guys, this could be life-threatening. I just don't get it!!

I hope they change their minds when it becomes light and realise it is too dangerous to have all the kids and you in school. Hopefully your work is not too far from your home so you can dash home if needed. Hoping for some rain for you and these fires subside soon xx

The kids are in school because the schools do not get money from the state unless their butts are in their chairs. It is all about $$$$. We are one if the few districts county wide that returned today.:o Air quality is poor, so it's an inside day.

My folks didn't want me to stay home with them. There are sick of me hovering.;) Rosie will alert them if someone knocks on the door. She is very good about that. If we lose power, I'm going home. I live only 6 miles from work, with no freeways. I can get home in ten minutes if need be.

My car didn't start this morning due to so much ash. I need to pick up a new air filter on the way home. I had to take a car from the garage. I am coughing up a lung , my chest hurts and my ears are plugged due to the poor air. We have asthmatics in this school. I don't get it.

The fires are still raging on. They are starting to get partial containment on a few of them, so progress is being made. It's a little cooler today, ONLY 100 degrees. :eek: Pray that no new fires break out today.

Thanks for the love and prayers.
Kathy

Can you imagine if any of these were your home?

Attachment 813

Oh yes Glynda. If I were sleeping, I would be seeing that in my dreams. We have come very close a few times with walls of fire a few blocks away. My heart and prayers go out to everyone who have suffered loses and to the poor displaced pets and wildlife. I know how blessed we are to have escaped fire multiple times. Right now, we are not threatened, but helicopters carrying water continue to circle. Thank god for all our first responder angels who are fighting for our lives and property at the expense of their own property and loved ones. True angels indeed. Right now I am in an air conditioned building away from toxic fumes. I am much better off than many.

I've been there too a few times. At night, I could see what looked like a single flame skipping across the hillsides. It wasn't until I talked to firefighters that some of those flames were animals on fire who were running and igniting the brush as they ran. It made me sick to my stomach.

I did not need that visual Glynda! I have seen that too, but didn't know what it was. Those poor innocent animals. :o:(

Very tired, but finally home. It is 98 degrees here now at 5:30 PM. The power held, though still glitchy, so my folks and Rosie were fine. I haven't slept for the last two nights. Exhaustion has taken over.

The helicopters are still circling and scooping up water at a small lake near me. Air quality sucks, very heavy with smoke and ash.

I haven't had a chance to read the current fire reports or watch the news. There were still 9 major fires burning throughout SD County this morning.

There were too many fires popping up in different areas within a very short period. I believe most, if not all, are arson. Arsonists are twisted human beings who get off on setting fires. Even if the first one wasn't arson, a news report on a fire will set an arsonist in motion. Working in insurance for all these years, I've seen this happen many, many times.

Good lord, I don't know how I manged to miss this thread. I was wondering how close the fires were too you and Sonja. :(
Dang scary stuff fire.
Do you have an escape route planned? Things that you need to have with you packed in a carry case? briefcase that sort of thing?
I know I am a worry wart and a planner both. Just want you to have everything in your head of how to get out and where to go if it gets too close.

hugs
Sharlene and molly muffin

We are okay for now. Many of the fires are still burning out of control. As long as I can hear the helicopters circling and scooping water, at least one of the fires remains a threat. Emergency services are stretched very thin. Helicopters would not be hanging around if there wasn't an immediate need for them.

My folks remain unaffected by all of this. They are not concerned at all. I am the one hyperventilating and staying up all night. :o Cooler weather is in the forecast for next week. It should be in the mid to high 70s. Hopefully the fires will be easier to contain then. We are doing as well as can be expected considering we're surrounded by a ring of fire and the air quality is at toxic levels. What we need is a few good rainstorms. Send those storms this way ladies! ;)

Oh Kathy,

I am reading about how hard it is to breathe - very scary!!! Is it at a point where you are having to wear masks?

Oh I will gladly send you a big rainstorm. I am still under a flash flood watch due to the heavy rains.

Please stay safe and try to catch a power nap.

Terry

I'm not sure what's happening fire wise this morning, but it doesn't look good. I took Rosie out to potty and the smoke is thicker. I also heard about six or seven sirens during the five minutes I was outside. They were rushing toward the 52 Freeway.

Terry, masks do not help much with the air-quality. They help filter large particles. Most of the airborne toxins are fine particulates and flow right through the masks. It's best to stay inside away from doors and windows and run the AC if you have it. There are designated cool zones all over the county where people can go to escape the heat and smoke.

LIVE UPDATE...... An alert just came across the screen as I was listening to the news. A new has fire broken west of Santee Lakes. That is about half-mile from me down the street! So far only a little over an acre has burned. First responders are already on the scene with others on the way. That would explain the sirens and increase in smoke. I regularly walk Rosie there. There is plenty of water available in the lakes for the helicopters to scoop. Pray that it is contained quickly because it is VERY Close to hundreds of homes on a couple of sides and thousands of miles of dry brush on mountains the other way. If the fire gets really going through that brush, it will be very difficult to stop! Once fueled, if the wind shifts, we are in trouble! OMG!!!! My entire area could be evacuated later today. :eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek:

Keep us informed and get the vehicles ready to go!! That is way too close for comfort Kathy.
Do you have a place to go in case of evacuation?

Sharlene and molly muffin

Prayers for you and everyone affected Kathy.
Stay safe

No where local to go except for the emergency shelters like everyone else. Waiting and watching for now.

Kathy, I hate to read this that it is so close to you. The pictures on the news are awful and to think that some fires might have been started on purpose, what kind of sick person does that?

Can you take Rosie to the shelter too if you have to evacuate? Can you post from your cell phone or email from your phone or call one of us so we know you are ok?


Dont wait to long, if you have to get out, GET OUT!!!!

ROSIE GOES WHERE I GO!!!!! I will not leave her anywhere! Many of the shelters are better about pets this time. They learned from the last disaster. Woe to anyone that tries to block Rosie. Mama bear will eat them alive!;):D

Hey, I have to maintain my sense of humor!:D

I can post from my iPad mini or my iPad. Most shelters are set up in local schools and have Wifi. I am in cell phone communication with one of you lovely angels. I talked with her a little while ago. She will post for me if I'm unable to do so. If we lose power and it is very glitchy right now, I will still have access via my cell phone, unless the nearby tower goes up in flames.

live update……

SANTEE LAKES FIRE HAS GROWN TO MORE THAN 30 ACRES AS OF NOW. NO STRUCTURES ARE THREATENED FOR THE MOMENT. It has burned more than 30 acres in a little over an hour. Two big planes are currently dropping fire retardant and many helicopters are using Santee Lakes to scoop water.

OMG, Kathy, please stay safe and be careful, will be keeping you all in my thoughts and prayers. Please let us know how things are going when you can.

Crimey!! Be careful!
Sharlene

Goddness Kathy please be safe :eek: