[tmejia]

Well,

Here in North Orange County we are breating a little easier. Although the closest the Brea fire got to me was about 3 miles, the smoke it generated made breathing a little uncomfortable yesterday and this morning. I shot these pictures of the sun at 9 am this morning in front of my house.

We still have the fires but the wind has died down which is helping the firefighters. Still keeping an eye out though.

Tommy

Rio Gracie

 

[cjwalas]

You guys are going through what we went through a few days earlier here in Santa Barbara. We were evacuated Thurs. nite and back Sat. Our lawn is littered with scraps of ash and charcoal that are still recognizable as pages from books, layers of veneer, bookbinding, etc. I found a scrap from a children's book with some happy ducks on it. Brought a tear to my eyes to read the ashes of someone's life. Here's wishing the very best to all of those that have lost their homes through all of this.
Chris

 

[toddalin]

It's about 5 mile due north of us. Luckily for us wind is blowing to the southwest and we are getting little smoke. Hopefully, it won't come south to us. I was on the freeway yesterday and the smoke looks like a solid wall with a very sharp dividing line.

 

[K27_463]

We watched the fire on the ridge south of us last night. The orange glow and smoke was amazing. Wind was blowing away so we got no ash this time and could breathe easily. 57 freeway was closed both directions and surrounding freeways were backed up. 57 may have opened up just a while ago as the wind shifted and the fire backed up in itself to an area that was already burned, so it ran out of fuel.
jonathan/EMw

 

[hans911]

Winds have calmed some but fires still going in multiple spots. We're not in immediate fire danger but the smoke, ash, etc is severe.

This photo was taken in the middle of the afternoon. The sky is black due to the nearby fires.

 

[aceinspp]

Well let hope all stays clear of your area. Later RJD

 

[vsmith]

We have friends who live in Anahiem Hills, near where the fire was, no idea how they came thru, hoping for the best. May know more tommorow.

 

[Torby]

I think I'll take winter over fire. Illinois seems like a pretty nice place to me.

 

[Robert]

I know you are up against some serious business so please don't think I am being insensitive, but those are very attractive photos. Thanks for posting.

 

[sbaxters4]

God protect all those in harms way on the fire lines and those whose homes are in danger. To all those who have evacuated and/or have lost thier homes our prayers are with as well.

 

[San Juan]

While our outdoor G scale layout is in Colorado, we spend most of the year in Anaheim Hills, California. We were evacuated Saturday evening. But thankfully this was more of a precaution due to the expected high winds as the fire did not jump where they thought it might and nothing anywhere near us got burned.

Great news to hear the evacuation was lifted Sunday morning...happened to be my birthday too. Very nice birthday present.


It was very hard trying to decide what to bring with us and what to leave behind. Our HO and O scale train layouts are here along with many many likely irreplaceable Santa Fe Railroad artifacts we've collected over the years. My dad decided to take his first Lionel steam engine with us, but that, along with a Santa Fe clock was about it for the train stuff.


In all the years we've lived out here (27), this is by far the worst fire in the Yorba Linda/Anaheim Hills area I've ever seen. Looking at the fire advance down the hills in Yorba Linda Saturday night was very ominous and it wasn't too long after that when we got the call to evacuate.


I'm hoping for some better weather to help get these things out. But now I'm concerned for the people on the hills for mud slides from winter rains which normally can be just a few weeks to a month away.

We had to go through this in Colorado too during the Missionary ridge fire. While we did loose a few 75 + year old pine trees, thankfully the house survived untouched and the only super serious damage was burnt ground which came back in the next few years as lush wild grass.

 

[vsmith]

Heard from my friend in Anahiem Hills, they were just on the edge of the evac zone but they didnt have to leave.

I know the Chino Hills State Park area very well from mt biking almost all the trails, it was very dense in growth in many places, I often wondered riding through what would happen if a fire got loose there on a bad wind day, guess I know now, they had a big fire in there a few years ago but it only burned inside the park, nothing like this firestorm. The scary thing is how many of these homes were built quite literally right up to the edge of the wilderness zone of the park, often with just a fence between the yard and the park trails, so sad to say I know where alot of these neighborhoods are, it will be years before this area recovers both in terms of replacement construction and vegitation wise. Now the survivors will have to hope for a mild winter so the hills dont slip, this is a big problem in some parts of the state park.

 

[toddalin]

I wish Gary Woolard/Carla would check in. They are in North Hills and I think they are near the Sylmar fire and have not responsed to my e-mail to check on their status.

Gary, you there?