Question for our California residents...

[Storico]

I know there are at least a few of you here.... I'm at work tonight and all I've heard about are bad winds and 3 spreading fires in California. Yes, I know it's a huge state and chances are not many of you are near Malibu, but is everyone okay? Families safe? I sure hope so. Just wondered.

[Dracula Girl]

I'm good and my brother lives about 25-30 miles from Malibu--the only fire I know of, so I think he is ok too. Thank you for asking.

[Clarice]

I know there are at least a few of you here.... I'm at work tonight and all I've heard about are bad winds and 3 spreading fires in California. Yes, I know it's a huge state and chances are not many of you are near Malibu, but is everyone okay? Families safe? I sure hope so. Just wondered.

I am near Malibu, and presently I think there are 12 fires burning out of control in southern California. Here at our house, we are under a thick layer of smoke and ash - although no fire is presently threatening us.

It is quite a mess here now - all day the sky was dark and the sun was red. Ashes cover our yard, home and car. The winds are gushing, trees and fences are down all over.

If we venture outside, we do so with surgical masks.

Many of our friends are fire fighters and are presently in the midst of the fire battles. We hear that help is on its way.

Thank you for asking, Storico.


C

[Michelle]

Clarice, keep us updated if you can.

I'm pretty far away, but I went to Pepperdine, so of course I'm watching.

[Storico]

You guys take care. And Rum Tum, I hope you see this because I want to make sure you're okay too!

[Gromit45]

So far I am in a good area of San Diego County as the fires are mostly whacking the northern part of the county and the winds are driving the fire west toward the ocean.

[eudyptes]

Just talked to a good friend who lives in Oceanside. Fires are 15 miles from her house, schools been cancelled - she was on the way to get gas, just in case.

[DesertBerean]

I live in the Mojave just north and east of all this. I understood there was a fire near Arrowhead...but I don't see any smoke activity like we had in either '03 or '04, don't recall which.

Praying for you guys.

[Clarice]

Just talked to a good friend who lives in Oceanside. Fires are 15 miles from her house, schools been cancelled - she was on the way to get gas, just in case.

In the area inland and south from Oceanside, 250,000 people have been evacuated.

Arrowhead and this evacuated area are the most threatened, although all fires through out southern California are advancing.




C

[Gromit45]

The areas effected in the 2003 fires are now included in the evacuations of this fire, so 2007 has greatly surpassed 2003 believe it or not. A lot of the evac centers are in my area, so I am probably in a safe area.

[DesertBerean]

'03, that was it. The smoke actually came into the Barstow-Daggett-Yermo valley areas and filled my workplace....up below our highest roof it looked like clouds. Many of us with resp. problems had to wear masks. There was a lot of soot too.

[Tladatsi]

I know there are at least a few of you here.... I'm at work tonight and all I've heard about are bad winds and 3 spreading fires in California. Yes, I know it's a huge state and chances are not many of you are near Malibu, but is everyone okay? Families safe? I sure hope so. Just wondered.

Many of my co-workers were forced to evacuate their homes due to the fire in Plum Canyon. We had a skeleton crew at work today. There are many more fires now, 250,000 people had to flee in San Diego county.

This is the driest year on record following two of the wettest winters on record. So we had two winters of lots of plant growth followed by almost no rain. It is a perfect fire storm.

[Dracula Girl]

I know people who are getting lots of smoke, but I don't think that anyone I know has had to evacuate. I know someone whose parents live in Lake Arrowhead, so they might had evacuated.

[DesertBerean]

Just read a news update on the 'net that kind of put it in perspective for me regarding the 250,000+ people evacuated..."more than a quarter of a million." Yikes.

[Michelle]

the freaking wind is still blowing