October 26, 2003

Beneath the Orange Sky

Orange sky is definitely something we don't have here often. Thankfully. But, when we get it, we GET IT.

Why the orange? Fires. The article to which I linked doesn't have the all the fires listed. They can't keep up. Add to the confusion and chaos, we had a small plane crash down near the stadium. We have some fuel storage tanks down in that area. That area is also fairly close to three hospitals. You can imagine how quickly they'd like to get that fire out.

There's another fire north of us. In Valley Center. From our balcony, we can see the flames. I wouldn't be too surprised to find that it burns so fast and so hard that it joins the Ramona fire.

When we get Santa Ana winds, the world, as we know it, kind of goes to hell.

Our weather forecast?

San Diego, California
Currently: 79\x{00B0}F Smoke
Most places don't get a weather icon for smoke, do they? Is California special, or what? Too bad they don't have an icon for a person needing to cover their mouth and nose to avoid all the smoky air.
Wind: Northwest 7.0 MPH
Humidity: 32.0%
Dewpoint: 46 \x{00B0} F
Barometer: 30.07 inches
Heat Index: 78\x{00B0} F
Sunrise: 6:01 AM PST
Sunset: 5:03 PM PST

Orange can be a beautiful color, but not when your sky is filled with smoke, choking your every breath, flames burning away the memories and your safe haven.

We're safe where we are. I feel horrible for those who are being evacuated. I know how frightening and hopeless it feels. And, again, even though we're safe from the fires, we're surrounded by smoke. Walls of smoke. In every direction. Even from the west. No fires out that way yet, but the way the wind's been blowing, it's sucking the smoke around and blowing it back toward the fires.

The wind is unpredictable today. Coming from all directions - not just from the northeast the way it normally does during a Santa Ana. That'll make fighting the fires nearly impossible. No safe ground. No guessing which direction the fire will go next. Too many fires. Too many resources spread too thin.

The firefighters and paramedics, the police, all those working to extinguish the fires, and your families - you're in my thoughts. Let's hope this ends soon.

Other news links: Local CBS affiliate
Local NBC affiliate - with photos and map of ten known fires in one area.

Posted by DaGoddess at October 26, 2003 03:13 PM
Comments

I hate Santa Ana season.

We don't get the hot wind here, but it's too warm for here when the wind starts coming off the land instead of the sea. I always get nervous because we live in a very dry wooded area and breath a big sigh of relief when the wind shifts back to normal.

Posted by: Ith at October 26, 2003 03:49 PM

Whew! We just got home & I read about the fires spreading so I ran over to see about you. Glad to know you guys are safe. Hope it stays that way.

Posted by: rita at October 26, 2003 05:20 PM