Little angel - Izaiah Wallis

Anyone who sees me tweeting or posting on Facebook has probably come across messages I have been posting recently about a sweet little boy named Izaiah who lives here in San Diego. He is just 3 months younger than Jason, and his maternal grandparents live in my neighborhood.

I have been posting about him for the last few weeks to help raise awareness of his desperate situation. This is not a joke, nor is it some kind of internet hoax. Please read on....

A bird's eye view...

I'm back in San Diego and emerging from the pile of stuff I had to catch up on from being gone for a week.

While I was gathering up my bags for the trip, it occurred to me that I'd have a chance to see what the rest of the city looked like as we drove to the airport, as also to see what the wildfires looked like from the air! So I packed my camera in my stuff and got ready as we took off to see some stuff...

On the Road

Here are a few shots from the road. There was pretty much a lot of two things - smoke and traffic:

sorry it's fuzzy - but you can see the thick haze everywhere and the sea of cars.

The approach to Carmel Valley...this is an interesting vista of how the smoke is just kind of a layer over everything in the city.

If you live in a city with smog this might not look strange to you. But here, the only time we don't have a crystal clear view of the landscape is when there is fog that rolls in from the ocean in the morning. This is definitely not that!

In the Air

At the airport, everything was empty. Eerily empty. I guess a lot of people were doing the same thing I did, cancelling travel plans until they knew better how to plan their next move. After making it through the security gate in record time and waiting at the terminal almost an hour, I finally boarded the plane, eagerly anticipating what I was going to see.

What I ended up seeing was a lot more smoke. Smoke obscured almost everything, so most of my pictures weren't that great. As we headed east and away from the ocean though, things changed a bit. I started to see more dinstinction between where the smoke was and where it wasn't, and an ominous layer of thick black that was already starting to settle over the area....

A coastline picture through the smoke

A layer of black over the landscape

Left:

You can see us flying over the smoke in the air, and approaching an area where you can see beyond the haze

Below:

This picture was really telling - you can see the plumes of smoke still blowing in a very westerly direction, back toward the direction from where we came.

Last photo: Blackened Earth

Bush visits and things are getting back to normal

Things are definitely getting back to normal. The newest CALFire map shows lots of areas where people have been allowed to return to their homes, and there is absolutely no possibility of fire reaching our house now.

My friends in Orange County have seen more excitement. Two report being able to actually see fires, one from his office and the other from his home. Neither are evacuated. That must mean these are getting under control as well.


Bush visited the area today:
Bush ends whirlwind tour
Posted @ 1:43 PM
President Bush boarded Air Force One about 1:30 p.m. ending a four-hour whirlwind stop in San Diego County where he met with victims, volunteers and emergency responders.His tour took him to Rancho Bernardo and Escondido where he was scheduled to have lunch with firefighters but a surprise stop at the Rancho Bernardo-Glassman Recreation Center put him behind schedule so after greeting dozens of the 2000 firefighters gathered in Kit Carson Park he and his motorcade returned to MCAS Miramar to board the plane and took off moments later.

Posted @ 12:42 PM
President Bush's final stop included a briefing at Kit Carson Park in Escondido.In brief remarks he sought to reassure all of San Diego County that the federal government was here to help and to share words of appreciation about local emergency responders."We're not going to forget you in Washington DC ," Bush said. "We want the people to know that there is a better day ahead. Today your life may look dismal but tomorrow life is going to be better and to the extent the federal government can help you, we're willing to do so."He also thanked the numerous volunteers who have stepped up in recent days.

Posted @ 12:08 PM
President Bush is enroute to Kit Carson Park in Escondido where he will meet with some of the first responders.At an earlier stop in a Rancho Bernardo neighborhood, he was asked a questison about comparing this disaster to Katrina."I'm thinking about people whose lives are turned upside down. The experts can try to figure out whether the response was appropriate or not," he said. "All I can tell you is when the governor calls, I answer his phone."He also said: "There is all kinds of time for history to compare this response or that response."Those of us who are here from government, our hearts are right here with the Jeffcoat's (family),'' he said, referring to a family he visited.

Posted @ 10:22 AM
President Bush touched down at San Pasqual High School in Escondido shortly after 10 a.m. following an aerial tour of the fire danger surrounding Lake Hodges.Outside the windows of the helicopter convoy, you could see patches of scorched earth below, but you could also see rolling green golfcourses and houses that escaped the damage.The president's motorcade took him toward neighborhoods where he will tour more damage. A couple dozen people lined the road near the high school with cameras.

Alberto, who watched him speak on tv, said that he promised lots of money to come our way. We'll see...

Other items:

Countywide fire map as of 4 p.m.

Posted @ 4:21 PM
Due to changing winds and fire conditions, the perimeters shown here may not be exact. The fire perimeters are constantly changing and weather conditions make it difficult to define the fire boundaries.
This map was developed using preliminary CAL FIRE and field reports.

Click here: Fire map, 4 p.m.


Look, the big plane finally got here. A little late....
Water bomber waits at Lake Elsinore
Posted @ 12:23 PM
After some delays getting through customs, the Martin Mars amphibious water bomber has arrived from Vancouver, British Columbia and is in Southern California. Reader Dave Bohorquez snapped this shot of the big seaplane floating in Lake Elsinore, awaiting firefighting assignments.The World War II-era flying boat has been used for fighting fires in Canada since 1959. They can land on lakes or in the ocean, can fill their tanks in the water and have a capacity of 7,200 gallons.

Air quality is unhealthy but improves tomorrow
Posted @ 4:21 PM
County officials say air quality in San Diego County remains unhealthy, especially in Oceanside and Chula Vista.Tomorrow’s forecast is for slightly better air quality in the more populated parts of the county, they said, but the more smoky areas will continue to be unhealthy for everyone and the fire-damaged areas will be unhealthy for people with respiratory issues.
Limit prolonged outdoor exertion until the weekend, officials said.The county is advising people to take special precautions when cleaning up ash.

Most important: Lightly mist indoor and outdoor hard surfaces before gently sweeping ash. On lightly dusted areas, a damp cloth or wet mop may be all that is needed.

And here is a bit of a disturbing story:
4 bodies found in East County
Posted @ 3:59 PM
Four badly burned bodies have been found in a burned out rocky canyon near state Route 94 and Highway 188 just west of Potrero.
Law enforcement officials are at the scene and are trying to figure out the logistics of how to get down a very steep canyon wall.A Border Patrol driving by saw one of the bodies on the canyon slope about 3:30 a.m. When he stopped to investigate he saw the other bodies about 75 to 100 yards down at the bottom of the deep ravine.
Two Border Patrol agents with a cadaver dog are sweeping the canyon right now to make sure there are no other bodies in the area.
The fire apparently just overtook the people, said Sheriff's Lt. Dave Myers."It's indicative of the extreme speed and intensity of the fire, " he said.
The bodies are of three men and one woman, said Border Patrol supervisor Joseph Mason.

Border Patrol: Four bodies may have been border crossers
Posted @ 5:10 PM
The U.S. Border Patrol said four bodies discovered near state Route 94 may be those of people who were trying to cross the border illegally.
Agent Matthew Johnson said that earlier in the week agents rescued a group border crossers in the area who said there were more people. "We looked for them, but the fires came up, and we didn't find them," he said.
There were three men and one woman found, Johnson said, and their deaths appeared to be fire-related. He added that it is possible that these were not illegal border crossers, but local residents trying to flee their homes.
Since the fires began Sunday, the agency has apprehended more than 200 individuals in the fire zone, many of whom have given themselves up to agents and firefighters to be rescued.
According to the Mexican consulate in San Diego, six Mexican nationals rescued Monday while trying to cross illegally near Tecate were hospitalized with burn injuries, with one in critical condition with second-degree burns.

Lastly, the latest satellite image of the fires collected from the Terra satellite shows smoke blanketing nearly all of southern California:
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV6N55Ci3jzht-7S96ggyb8B10Wk3oZKPml6KLoaEVhMN075ulYFWGqF90f0bDzTXAzPc0tuoGz-957cIbe4jTPqrcHok2zwNdvwuP9C9FKkwUN6K0KR4clBldMirXzamSH6E-Bv16TbG0/s1600-h/smoke.jpg

Check it out!

Thursday updates

Alberto tells me there is still nothing new for us and our house in San Diego County. I flew out to Houston yesterday at 11:40, and so am now monitoring things from a distance.

Here are some of the news headlines from yesterday. These and the rest paint kind of a confusing picture - the lines between who is evacuated and who can go home are becoming very blurred.

Also, apparently some reports from yesterday were incorrect, like the Poomacha and the Witch Creek fire merging:
Correction: Fires have not merged
Posted @ 4:35 PM
Fire officials say the Witch and Poomacha fires have not merged, contrary to earlier official reports.

Here are a few other posts I picked out:

Latest story, map and updates
Posted @ 1:55 AM
Here's our breaking news story on the fires.
And here's an interactive map that includes a partial list of the destroyed houses. County officials said they are providing updates on the ongoing disaster assessments on the county's emergency page.


Fire evac surpasses Katrina
Posted @ 10:05 PM
San Diego County Sheriff Bill Kolender says more people have been evacuated because the county's wildfires than were evacuated from New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina. He urged residents to remain patient until they can safely be allowed to return to their homes.
While more than 150,000 evacuees have been allowed to return home, Rancho Santa Fe has not been one of the communities declared safe yet. Many anxious residents have been trying to get past the roadblocks, said Rancho Santa Fe fire authorities.
"We can't let people in yet, there's live wires on the ground and hot spots still burning," a spokeswoman said. By tomorrow morning, Rancho Santa Fe fire plans to have a better assessment of which areas can be lifted from mandatory evacuation.
All areas affected by the nearly 200,000-acre Witch fire have started their own assessments.

How to find out if you can go home
Posted @ 8:07 PM
County officials say they have reopened several areas that had been under mandatory evacuation.But they don't have a master list that would allow residents in those areas to know if their specific street has OK'd for their return.The county is directing people to this evacuation map, which highlights reopened areas in green. The county's map does little, however, for those looking to find their streets.

Border Patrol pitches in
Posted @ 4:43 PM
Border Patrol agents from San Diego are helping with the wildfire effort, agency officials said.Since Sunday morning, agents have aided more than 200 illegal border crossers encountered in the path of the Harris Fire.
Many of the border crossers surrendered to agents after being surprised by the fast-moving fire, officials said.Agents treated people for severe burns and evacuated them to local hospitals.
The Border Patrol is also contributing more than 300 agents a day to the San Diego County emergency effort. Agents are assisting local law enforcement officials with evacuations, traffic control, and perimeter control.
The Border Patrol’s horse unit has rescued more than 50 horses and transported them to local animal shelters, officials said.

Infrared images of fires
Posted @ 3:54 PM
The U.S. Forest Service is providing online infrared imagery that shows the location and intensity of the Poomacha, Rice and Harris Fires.Current images can be seen at http://www.fireimaging.com/



And the blame game begins.....
http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20071025/news_1n25aircraft.html

Last post for the day

I am about to leave for the airport, and Alberto isn't too keen on making posts, so this will probably be the last post of the day.

Not much has changed, the Horno fire seems to be going north which is good for us, and the other fires don't seem to be going anywhere at all, which is also good.

The skies are much clearer today, and the raining ash is much smaller and finer than yesterday.

The smell of smoke is still everywhere, but it is easier to breathe.

The temps are much cooler too, and there is almost no wind. I really think that we are seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.

Here a few of the latest posts:

Six deaths have occured during wildfires
Posted @ 8:42 AM
Six fire-related deaths of San Diego County residents have occurred during the 2007 Wildfires. This includes one death directly related to the fires, two that occurred during evacuation activities and three that happened after the decedents were evacuated.

The most recent fatality is James Sharp, 64, a resident of the La Costa Glen nursing home in Carlsbad who was admitted to Alvarado Hospital upon evacuation. His condition rapidly declined and he did not recover, dying on October 23. (Cause of death is pending.)

Previously reported fatalities are as follows:

Thomas James Varshock, 52, of Tecate, died on his property during the Harris Fire on Sunday, Oct. 21.

Alla M. Robinson, 91, was an in-patient at Fallbrook Hospital who died of
natural causes while in the process of being evacuated to Tri-City Medical
Center on Monday, Oct. 22.

Suzanne Elizabeth Casey, 62, died from a fall at a restaurant on Monday, Oct. 22 after being evacuated from her Rancho Bernardo home.

Donald Swarting, 92, died of natural causes at the Mount Miguel Covenant
Village Nursing Home in Spring Valley on Tuesday, Oct. 23 after becoming
unresponsive during the evacuation process.

June E. Brewer, 95, died of natural causes in her room at an Old Town hotel on Tuesday, Oct. 23, after being evacuated from her Rancho Bernardo home.


Presidents signs disaster declaration for San Diego
Posted @ 8:41 AM
Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said
Wednesday that a federal disaster declaration has been signed by President Bush
clearing the way for assistance to make its way to San Diego.

Alberto and Dudley will continue to monitor things and they are ready to pack up and go if needed.

Big plane on its way!

Here's something I know that plane enthusiasists will enjoy:
Huge firefighting plane on its way
Posted @ 7:24 AM
A Martin Mars waterbomber is expected to arrive in San Diego County this afternoon to help fight the area's wildfires.
The plane, which is based in Canada, is capable of dropping 7,200 gallons of water in a single drop, enough to drench three acres.
The plane also can drop a gel that can coat structures in the path of fires, said San Diego Fire Chief Tracy Jarman.The plane is amphibious and can land on water .

Another fire, this one in a much more familiar place...

Just woke up, and checking the news I see reports of a new fire that must have sprung up overnight. This one is on the base of Camp Pendleton and is called the Horno fire.

Horno is Spanish for "oven"

This fire was first reported around 1:00 am.

Here is what I have found:

Camp Pendleton fire spread to 6,000 acres
Posted @ 4:00 AM
The fire burning in Camp Pendleton has charred 6,000
acres and is moving north and west between Las Pulgas Road and the Border Patrol
checkpoint.

The blaze, dubbed the Horno fire, has caused the closure of Interstate 5.
Camp Pendleton has requested the closure of train service, and Metrolink has
confirmed that service is shut down from Oceanside to San Clemente.

I am very familiar with this area and the Metrolink, I used to pass through here every day and still do whenever I need to go to the office. Maximum distance from us is 10 miles, but probably a bit less.

Here are some other details:

Witch Creek and Poomacha fires merge
Posted @ 6:34 AM
The Witch Creek and Poomacha fires have merged, the
San Diego Office of Emergency Services says.
The county also just released this updated map of the fires.

http://www.sdcountyemergency.com/newsreleases/10242007_0500hrs_Evac_FirePerem.pdf (note: this map is huge - 2 MB. Launch it in a separate window because it will take several minutes to download)

I have included screen shots - regular size and close up of our area. Hope you can see it!

A chilling radio call
Posted @ 4:30 AM
Radio report from an engine company, location unclear, what
sounded like a fire captain ordering a crew to flee.The reply: "We just cut our
lines and left."NOTE: When firefighters know they're about to be overrun by
flames, they chop off their hose lines with axes and leave. If they stay long
enough to uncouple them, they might not get out in time.
--Greg Gross, Breaking News Team

Poomacha fire straddling SR-76
Posted @ 1:09 AM
The Poomacha fire is straddling state Route 76 just south of Palomar Mountain.The road is closed in both directions. The flames were about a mile away from the Witch fire and fire officials expect the two fires may have already converged.

Nothing new for us, but fires are still blazing

I feel good about having booked the trip to Houston for tomorrow. Today's events showed that though the fires aren't out, they show little signs of moving anymore. In fact, the winds have started blowing the other direction, causing the fires to start doubling back, and things have cooled considerably which also helps ease the situation.

Right now, there has been hardly any additional movement toward our part of Oceanside. We are comfortable that the fires will be put out over the next few days without coming near our home.

However, that doesn't mean things are over:

Witch Creek fire update

Posted @ 8:03 PM
The Witch Creek fire has spread to 196,420 acres and is 1 percent contained.Twelve firefighters have been hurt. There are 1,492 firefighters fighting the blaze which continues to move west and southwest.It is threatening the following communities: San Diego, Poway, Ramona, Escondido, Lakeside, Valley Center, San Marcos and Rancho Santa Fe.

The fire has also spread to the east threatening Julian and Pine Hills.Fire officials are still tyring to determine a more accurate perimeter of the fire. Firefighters made minimal progress on the western front of the fire Tuesday.

There was active burning all day and winds did not let up until about 6 p.m., said Holly Crawford, a spokeswoman for the Office of Emergency Services.As it spread, the blaze destroyed 480 structures and damaged 65. It ravaged the community of Del Dios and destroyed 100 homes alone in that area, Crawford said.

The San Diego River drainage is a concern for firefighters for the night. At the moment, the fire is also burning north and west of state Route 76.

For now, we are just sitting tight and continuing to cross our fingers and toes :)

Here's a sunset picture from today:

Front of the House

Back of the House

The Beginning of the End?

For the last few hours, there have been updates of dangerous growth on the Poomacha and Harris Fires, but no others. The rest of the updates have mostly centered around telling evacuees in various areas that they can start returning to their homes.

The firefighters were surely helped today by much diminished winds. It was a little windy earlier, but for the most part thngs have been very still today.

The Rice Fire is still listed as a 'threat' to Oceanside, but I've heard almost nothing about it all day.

I hope that everything continues to go this way, and we can start getting back to normal!

Alberto and I have decided that I'll go ahead and fly out to Houston tomorrow if things continue this way.

Dark skies are coming

In the past 1o minutes as I've been working at my office window, the sky has gone from a hazy yellow to a dark yellow gray soupy mess.

Don't adjust your color settings - this is a full color photo.



A sign of things to come?

Even the sun looks like it's going to be blotted out!















I also just saw this come across:

Poomacha Fire grows

Posted @ 2:19 PM
Cal Fire reports the Poomacha Fire has grown to 23,000 acres and is quite active in the the Highland Valley and Mt. Woodson areas.


I don't know where these areas are, but I will keep my eyes open...










The backyard

Updates

There are some new fires that have flared up today and in the middle of the night last night. It's hard to keep them all straight. The new one that concerns me is the Poomacha fire:

Mandatory evacuation notice for La Jolla Reservation

Posted @ 1:31 PM
A mandatory evacuation notice has been issued for people in the La Jolla Reservation area. People should go to Borrego Springs. People SHOULD NOT go to the Palomar Mountain Evacuation center.This fire, which was spotted across Highway 76 and established on the south face of Palomar Mountain at the base of Palomar Mountain, is now being referred to as the "POOMACHO FIRE" by CalFire.It is currently 20,000+ acres.

This is also in North County, and apparently is getting ready to become much stronger:

Updated fire information
Posted @ 1:22 PM
San Diego County authorities said 1,250 homes have been destroyed and 241,000 acres have burned around the county as of noon today.Residents are being allowed to return to Scripps Ranch and parts of Del Mar and Poway.Officials said it will be 24 hours or more before residents can return to Rancho Bernardo, where homes have been destroyed.City Councilman Brian Maienschein said he will post addresses of homes with damage on his section of the city's Web site by 2 p.m. today, http://www.sandiego.gov/.

Fire officials said burning conditions worsened today.

The Poomacha fire has established itself on Palomar Mountain and has burned 20,000 acres. The Poomacha and Witch fires are expected to join later today. The Witch fire has burned 200,000 acres and has spread to Valley Center and Del Dios.Residents along Highway 76 corridor are now being told to evacuate.

An estimated 25 air tankers and 40 helicopters are being used to fight the 11 major fires now burning across Southern California. Officials said they have requested nine more air tankers.

Also, the line from the south continues to slowly creep upward:

Mandatory evacuation in Encinitas

Posted @ 1:36 PM
Encinitas city officials have ordered the mandatory evacuation of Olivenhain east of Rancho Santa Fe Road and north of El Camino Del Norte, although there are no fires inside the city.

North of Encinitas is Carlsbad, and north of Carlsbad is us.

Here's a picture of Alberto's truck, which is covered in ash at the moment:

Street Sweeper

Figure this.....in the midst of all that is happening with the raining ash and the smoke filled skies and the emergency vehicles everywhere, the City of Oceanside is still sending its street sweepers around.

Alberto and I were eating breakfast as we heard the truck approaching. We jumped and grabbed our keys to move our cars back in the driveway - the last thing we need is another ticket or two for our cars being in the way!

We barely got them in the driveway in time, and as the street sweeper passed billows of ash and dirt followed. Yuk. Who sends a street sweeper out to kick up all of this ash that is settling over everything?

Here are a few more updates:
Evacuation of Fairbanks Ranch
Posted @ 10:29 AM

Condor facility burned, birds safe at WAP
Posted @ 10:21 AM
The San Diego Zoo's Wild Animal Park has sustained damage to some facilities, but no animals have been injured.One of the park's California condor breeding facilities was destroyed by the fire, but the endangered birds had already been moved a veterinary hospital elsewhere in the park.

No San Diego trash pickup today
Posted @ 9:48 AM
San Diego has suspended trash collection today.
I guess the street sweepers operate under a different authority!

Hazy Day

The sun is out now and we are surrounded by a thick gray haze.

I can tell the winds are picking up a bit because the ash all over the ground has been kicked around in swirly patterns.

Apparently the Federal gov't wants to get involved in the action. Alberto and I are not holding our breath. After watching what happened during Katrina, we are not comforted by talks of Chertoff coming to town. Brownie did the same thing and no good came from that....

Here are some of the latest posts:

Estimate of houses destroyed
Posted @ 9:16 AM
Fire officials now say that as many as 1,000 homes have beendestroyed by fire countywide.


Rancho Bernardo evacuation still in effect
Posted @ 8:54 AM

I-15 open in both directions
Posted @ 8:52 AM
The CHP and Caltrans report that Interstate 15 is now open in both directions through North County. Parts of the freeway had been closed until early this morning due to the fires.

Bush declares state of emergency
Posted @ 8:45 AM
President Bush declared a state of emergency in Southern California today in response to the raging wildfires and ordered federal officials to work with local authorities to bring aid to the fire-stricken region.
David Paulison, administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, said federal funds will be used to reimburse the state "for certain costs incurred under FEMA's Fire Management Assistance Grant Program (FMAG)."FEMA so far has approved at least seven requests for such grants. Under those grants, the federal relief agency pays for 75 percent of the state's eligible fire-fighting costs. Some of those expenses include the cost for equipment, supplies and traffic control.
Yesterday, FEMA opened a Joint Field Office in Pasadena to coordinatefederal, state and local efforts to bring aid to the region. Bush said he was sending Paulison and U.S. Homeland Security Chief Michael Chertoff to California to determine what other federal aid is needed to help battle the fires that have been burning in seven counties since the weekend.
Paulison and Chertoff were expected to arrive in Southern California later today.

Here's an update on the biggie:
Witch Creek fire update
Posted @ 7:47 AM
Here are the latest figures about the Witch Creek fire, according to CalFire:
* 164,000 acres. One percent contained.
* Seven firefighters and one civilian have been injured. Two additonal injuries were reported this morning - it is unknown as yet if they were firefighters or civilians.
*500 homes destroyed. 250 damaged.
*100 commercial properties destroyed, 75 damaged.
* 50 outbuildings destroyed, 50 damaged.

Winds are blowing south and south west at 10 t0 20 miles per hour.The temperature is 75 degrees, humidity is at 6 percent.

The fire is passing through several communites including parts of San Diego, Poway, Ramona, Lakeside, Valley Center, San Marcos, Rincon, Wildcat Canyon and Rancho Santa Fe, said Cal Fire Capt. Don Camp.

The fire is burning between Interstates 5 and 15 and is heading west towards the beach.

Some photos of the ash:

first photos of the day

This is how the horizon looks from our back yard now - Quite a difference from last night's sunset picture right?



I took a walk with Dudley this morning, not too far but he needed to be walked.
The ash is raining on top of us. You can see it very clearly here, taken from our back yard -

The horizon over the wildlife refuge has changed dramatically. Here is a sunrise photo

The smoke is pretty strong. I tried to make the walk as brief as possible because I didn't want Dudley to breathe it since he seems to have some respiratory issues.

And, I know now why all the reporters have those goofy googles on their faces - it stings when you get ash in your eyes!

Matt Lauer from the Today show is here. I love him! It made me smile this morning to see that he is here with us. Goofy, I know...

a new day...

It is 6 am here, and much has changed overnight.

The smell of smoke outside is strong now, and has permeated throughout the lower level of the house.

Outside, it's raining ash. There is a dull red glow on the horizon behind our house - I can't tell whether that's the sunrise or fire.

There are now two large advisory evacuation zones that are side by side and envelope over half the county.

The border of those zones is about 3 miles from our house. That mean we are included in one of the zones. We haven't gotten any calls though, so we will continue to monitor for now and watch how traffic in our neighborhood happens.

Alberto has asked that we stay together until this is over and I agree. Continental is offering a one-time change option if you are flying to/from San Diego without fee, as long as your rescheduled flight starts before your original flight would have ended. I will be exercising that option.

Here is a link to maps of the evacuation zones. The fire that is now of greatest concern to us is the Witch Fire. Originally, it was the Coronado Hills Fire, but that one has been 100% contained, and the Witch Fire still burns out of control, creeping closer all the time:
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/images/071022witch.gif

Other relevant posts today:
Witch Creek Fire continues out of control
Posted @ 5:44 AM

The biggest wildfire burning in San Diego County continues to rage out of control today. The so-called Witch Creek Fire, which started Sunday with a transformer explosion near Highway 78 and Bandy Canyon Road and eventually destroyed about 70 homes, merged yesterday with another fire that started about the same time in the San Pasqual Valley, fire officials said. All together, more than 145,000 acres have been scorched, and about 500 homes have been destroyed, along with 50 "outbuildings" ' and 100 commercial buildings, according to the California Department of Forestry, or Cal Fire. Seven firefighters and one civilian have been reported injured. With strong winds expected again today, some fire officials warned that the conflagration could prove more disastrous than the 2003 Cedar Fire that charred 280,278 acres and killed 15 people. Among the hardest-hit areas is northern Rancho Bernardo, where as many as 300 homes went up in flames Monday, according to a group of firefighters taking a break at a strip mall on West Bernardo Drive last night.Rob Lukaszewicz described the conditions he and his colleagues were facing as "twice as bad" as the Cedar Fire. "We triaged the houses out into what we could save and what we couldn't,'' he said. About 70 houses in Escondido were lost, along with about 50 in Poway and six in Rancho Santa Fe, according to Cal Fire.The blaze prompted the evacuation of Fallbrook and Pomerado hospitals, and most area schools were closed Monday. About 34,000 San Diego Gas & Electric customers were without elecricity last night. About 1,200 National Guard troops are expected to help with la enforcement, San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders said Monday. The San Diego Fire Department committed about 450 firefighters and 98 trucks to the fire. Shelters were set up at Qualcomm Stadium, Santana High School, Poway Community Park, Poway Girls & Boys Club, Campo Community Center, Mission Hills High School, Mira Mesa High School, Escondido High School, the Del Mar Fairgrounds, Steele Canyon High School and San Marcos High School. The fire, formerly known as the Witch Creek Fire, has been fueled by thick, old-growth brush just outside the burn area of the Cedar Fire, considered one of the worst wildfires in state history. That conflagration, which broke out the evening of Oct. 25, 2003 after a lost hunter set a signal fire, destroyed more than 2,200 homes and caused $1.06 billion in insured losses.

Fire boundaries unclear
Posted @ 3:57 AM
Fire authorities said they won't be able to provide street-by-street damage tolls for some time, and that they don't even have the information for their own use. They said their goal was getting a handle on the county's wildfires.Given the wild winds and the fire's unpredictable spread, the firefighters are likely too busy trying to save homes.Here's a breakdown of the fires, from Tuesday's U-T:
WITCH CREEK FIRE
As of 10:30 p.m. Monday
First reported: 12:37 p.m. Sunday
Acres burned: 145,000
Containment: 0 percent
Structures lost: 500 homes, 50 outbuildings, 100 commercial buildings
Resources: 625 firefighters, 89 engines, six helicopters, five air tankers shared with Harris fire
Deaths: zero
Injuries: eight, including seven firefighters
SOURCE: Cal Fire

Coronado Hills Fire
As of 10:30 p.m. Monday
First reported: 1:50 a.m. Monday
Acres burned: 300
Containment: 100 percent
Structures lost: at least two
Resources: 40 firefighters, 25 engines
Deaths: zero
Injuries: zero
SOURCE: San Marcos Fire Department

RICE CANYON FIRE
As of 10:30 p.m. Monday
First reported: 4:16 a.m. Monday
Acres burned: 1,500
Containment: 0 percent
Structures lost: close to 100
Resources: 50 firefighters, five engines
Deaths: zero
Injuries: zero
SOURCE: Cal Fire

McCOY FIRE
As of 10:30 p.m. Monday
First reported: 11:37 p.m. Monday
Acres burned: 400
Containment: 100 percent
Structures lost: one
Resources: 30 firefighters, five engines
Deaths: zero
Injuries: zero
SOURCE: Cal Fire

As the sun goes down....

Here are final pics of the day. Not much has changed since the last blog. We'll continue to watch the news overnight.

I am supposed to fly out of San Diego to Houston tomorrow, and we are still planning on that happening.

This last photo is the most dramatic. You can see how the smoke has really traveled north now, and it makes for an interesting picture with the sunset as the backdrop

Still here....

It is surreal to be here in San Diego County during this whole ordeal. We have been watching the tv all day and hearing things like:
dryest it's been in 130 years
over 250,000 evacuated from different parts of the county
humidity levels below 10% (many below 5%)
Winds ranging from 25 mph to 60 mph

We've seen incredible photos of whole sides of mountains on fire and neighborhoods choked with smoke.

But here, it's very very quiet. No one has left our neighborhood, and no evacuation has been called here. The winds are very gusty outside, but the smell of smoke that permeated here a couple of hours ago is all but gone.

Still, I can tell there is acrid smoke in the air because my nose is starting to burn, and I've only set foot outside for a grand total of 15 minutes all day.

Even the nicely defined billows of smoke we could see in the morning are mostly gone. I guess that is because of the windy conditions. It's gotten hotter and hotter all day long and now it kind of feels like Arizona here - just damn hot.

The fire to the north of us (in Fallbrook) apparently burst out of control after officials thought they had it in hand, and now there is a new wave of evacuation calls for several communities north and east of us. Still, nothing for our area.

The San Marcos fire, which is the one that I was most worried about, doesn't seem to have gone anywhere at all today. So, here we still sit, although we've started to doze off a bit from all the anticipation and no action.

The thing that bothers me right now is that if we were called to leave at some point tonight, all the shelters nearest to us have already been filled to capacity. Where would we go?

Here are some of the fireblog headline updates:


Governor calls in the state National Guard
3:24 p.m.

Military offers route through Camp Pendleton
2:53 p.m.

San Diego Harbor Police join the wildfire attack
2:40 p.m

More evacuations ordered – The Emergency Alert System (EAS) has been activated.
2:22 p.m.

Mandatory evacuations, updated
2:10 p.m.
As of 1:45 p.m mandatory evacuations are ordered for the folowing area:
Everything south of Scripps Poway Parkway
North of MCAS Miramar
East of Interstate 15
West of Highway 67

Shelter updates
2:01 p.m.
San Diego County Office of Emergency Serivces has just issued the following fire storm shelter update:

As of 1:45 p.m., here is the most current status of Emergency Shelters:

Shelters that still have capacity
Qualcomm Stadium
Santana High School
Poway Community Park
Poway Girls & Boys Club
Campo Community Center
Mission Hills High School

Full Shelters
Del Mar Fairgrounds
Steele Canyon High School
Escondido High School
Mira Mesa High School
San Marcos High School (temporary shelter)
these are all the ones that are closest to us!

Mandatory Fallbrook evacuation
1:05 p.m.

Mandatory Valley Center evacuation
1:05 p.m.

Mandatory evacuations in Poway announced
1:00 p.m.

Updates for Harris, Witch and McCoy fires
12:58 p.m.

The Harris Fire is 20,000 acres and 5 percent contained. They are currently mapping the fire. Aircraft is periodically grounded due to high winds and visibility. The Southwest Powerline was shut off yesterday and to remain shut for unknown duration of time. San Diego County Sheriff and U. S. Border Patrol are handling immigrant issues including the rescuing, medical treatment, and identification of individuals. Otay Lakes Road is next fire decision making point for impact to San Diego City and Chula Vista. Multiple structures have been destroyed. There are 55 engines, 4 bulldozers, 9 fire crews, 6 helicopters, 5 airtankers (assigned), 6 water tenders (400 firefighters). The cause is still under investigation.

The Witch Fire is 10,000 acres, 0% contained. The fire is still spread westerly. Currently there is 28 engines, 1 dozer, 14 fire crews, 2 water tenders, 18 overhead (369 firefighters). Multiple structures have been destroyed. There have been no injuries to firefighters and one injury to a civilian. Communities threatened: Highland Valley, City of San Diego/Rancho Bernardo, City of Escondido, City of Lakeside, Barona Indian Reservation, City of Poway, Wild Animal Park, Mt. Woodson, Muth Valley. Wind driven fire with spotting up to 1/2 mile. Rapid fire spread burning down hill, down canyon. The fire is burning primarily in unburned fuel between the 2003 Paradise and Cedar Fires.

The McCoy Fire is a U.S. Forest Service fire it is at Boulder Creek and Eagle Peak. It is 400 acres and 5% contain. They are looking at full containment on October 23rd. One structure has been destroyed. Currently they have 5 engines, and 3 overhead which is about 30 firefighters. The cause is under investigation.

The Rice Fire is 300 acres 0 percent contained. The location is in Rice Canyon in the northern part of San Diego County. The fire started on October 22 at 4:16 am. 250 structures are threatened and 1 has been destroyed. No mandatory evacuations at this time. The cause is under investigation. Firefighters are attempting to keep the fire in the area of Rice Canyon to east, I-15 to the west, Rainbow Heights to north and Hwy 76 to South. The fire is currently burning into agricultural areas.

The path of the fires

Despite a lack of saying so on the news, it would seem that the fires in the middle of the county are creeping a bit northward. Evacuations have slowly been inching up the map, from south of Del Dios Highway to Rancho Santa Fe and now to some parts of Solana Beach. This is still a small distance from us, so we are still sitting tight.

In the meantime, the fires north of us don't seem to be going anywhere - at least they don't mention them much on the TV. I guess that means no news is good news.

We heard one reporter say that there was an evacuation call for the area south of 78 in between I-15 and I-5. This is definitely our area, but we can't find this anywhere else, and we've received no call....so we are staying put for now.

In the meantime, the smoke that was to the south of us has crept northwest, so that now it is blowing behind the houses across the street from ours. This picture is taken from the front porch:














The wind is picking up again. These Santa Ana winds can be really strong. Last year, they completely uprooted one of my rose bushes. At this moment, I'm watching all the trees around our house sway from side to side.

Alberto is using this time to douse all of our plants in the back with water in preparation for whatever comes our way...

Fire Update

The sun is high in the sky now and we can see the smoke to the south of us blowing at a high speed in a westerly direction. This is how things look from our front yard.


There are a total of 7 wildfires burning around the county. Right now, they are to the north, east and south of us. The thing that is making this so bad are the Santa Ana winds. They are really strong, so strong that planes/helicopters with fire retardant can't fly because they'd get whipped around too much.

The latest around the county is:

9:16 a.m.
Interstate 15:
Interstate 15 has been reopened by the California Highway Patrol in both directions. The exception is to the offramps between Lake Hodges and Mercy Road. The offramps only will remain closed.

Conditions of the patients currently hospitalized at UCSD Medical Center-Hillcrest are:

3 Firefighters are in Critical Condition
1 Firefighter is in Fair Condition
4 Civilians in Critical Condition
4 Civilians in Fair Condition
1 Civilian in Good Condition

Injuries are: Critical:
60% burn injuries
29% burn injuries
28% burn injuries
12% burn injuries
8% burn injuries w/inhalation damage
5% burn injuries w/inhalation damage
5% burn injuries w/inhalation damage

Fair: 17% burn injuries
9% burn injuries
10% burn injuries
6% burn injuries
5% burn w/inhalation damage
Good: 4% burn injuries

Latest evacuation notices
8:32 a.m.
Here are the latest evacuation notices. Over 30,000 Reverse 911 calls have gone out.
Coronado Hills Fire (in San Marcos): Notifications made to 1,000 residents in the communities of Coronado Hills and Discovery Hills in San Marcos and to Attebury Rd. and Deadwood Rd. They were evacuated to Escondido High School.

Mission (Fallbrook) Fire: Notifications made to Rainbow Area residents (I-15 on west, Rainbow Valley on the north, Pala Temecula on the East and Pala Rd. on the south) instructing residents to evacuate to the west.

Witch Fire: Evactuation notices have gone out to Elfin Forest Recreational Reserve; Del Dios; Lake Hodges; in Poway at Espola Rd., Old Coach Rd., Heritage Rd. and Stage Coach Rd. Reverse 911 notification has been made for Poway in the area bordered by Pomerado on the west, Twin Peaks on the south and Espola on the north and east. Poway has established an evacuation center at Poway Civic Center.

Harris Fire: Notifications have been made to residents of Mother Grundy Truck Trail and Deer Horn Valley. They were evacuated to Steele Canyon High School. Future evacuatees will be directed to Santana High School in Santee. Mandatory evacuation in progress for Coyote Holler. They were evacuated East to Campo. Mandatory evactuation notices sent for areas north of Lake Wohlford.

Residents should call 2-1-1 for all non-emergency calls related to this fire. Due to large call volume, residents are also urged to find fire information online at www.211SanDiego.org Residents may also call the City of San Diego Community Access Phone at 619-570-1070 for additional fire information.

Fire total: 18,000 acres burning
7:25 a.m.
The San Diego County Office of
Emergency Services reports there are some 18,000 acres of San Diego County
burning right now. That includes the areas burning in the city of San Diego,
officials said.
The fires are zero percent contained.

Still no evacuation order where we are.

Two more pics from the wildlife refuge, a block away from the house:

When we took this pic, we could actually see the smoke being blown west right in front of our eyes...

Carlsbad in the distance...

Mandatory evacuations are being called

I just saw on the San Diego paper's website the following:

BREAKING NEWS: Mandatory evacuations ordered all the way west to Interstate 5 and north of state Route 56; homes burning, residents trapped; Qualcomm Stadium set up as evacuation center

The paper's 'fire blog' has this latest posting:

Boundaries on western mandatory evacuation area
7:09 a.m.
According to San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders: Everyone north of state Route 56, south of Del Dios Highway, west of Interstate 15 and east of Interstate 5 should evacuate. Qualcomm Stadium in Mission Valley is opening as an evacuation center.

You can read it here: http://www.signonsandiego.com/

This does not include us yet - Del Dios highway (the northern border) is a bit further south. We'll be packing the important stuff though, just in case...