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The dry conditions and high desert winds in Southern California have contributed to widespread fires. This is the largest natural disaster in the US since Hurricane Katrina. San Diego, where I live, is the hardest hit.
Property damage has reached at least $1 billion in San Diego County alone. Now in their fourth day (as I write this) the fires have destroyed 1,200 homes just in San Diego County, and triggered the largest evacuation in California history. 16 wind-driven blazes spread through Southern California, from Malibu to the Mexican border, and forced a half-million people to evacuate.
In San Diego County alone there were about 9 or 10 different fires. The largest is the Witch Creek fire, covering an area which extends to just a few miles of where I live. I must hasten to tell you that my own home and close neighborhood remains untouched.
Just 4 years ago (Oct. 2003) a major fire destroyed 8 homes in my immediate neighborhood (Scripps Ranch) as well as about 200 homes within a radius of about 5 miles. My home was still being remodeled and was very vulnerable. But it remained unscathed because my neighbor Big-Ed stayed behind and used his pool pump to spray water in the face of the approaching fire. (Weblink below)
This time, when we received the reverse-911 telephone call to announce mandatory evacuation, 3 neighbors (including Big-Ed) and I decided to stay behind to protect out homes. We had a large fire-hose connected to a fire-hydrant, plus a water-truck as backup. And Wade, my neighbor, figured out how to keep the sprinklers spraying on the hill behind our homes.
Fortunately, our neighborhood was spared. On Tuesday afternoon the evacuation order was lifted and our Scripps Ranch neighbors returned. So the immediate danger has passed for my home.
But now I'm concerned about friends and family in several other areas around San Diego that are still threatened as the fire continues to blaze. The winds have died down a bit, so hopefully the fires will soon be contained.
San Diego Union - Fire damage severe, but worst may be over
Struggling with San Diego's Fire Storm: Gratitude and Frustration
