Prayers, positive thoughts, good vibes, whatever you believe in... Please send them.
The Station Fire is burning in the forest directly above where we live, and the neighboring communities. Friends, people from the congregation at church, people I've known almost all my life are being evacuated. My mom and aunt and grandma are only a few blocks from mandatory evacuation areas. My mom has her cats and their cages inside, and her important documents packed.
Down here, we're not so close we're in danger of being evacuated or our home burning (at least not unless a heck of a lot of homes burn first) but smoke is so thick it's coming in despite sealed windows and air conditioning. Ash and once in a while embers are falling. I'm asthmatic and haven't been outside in forever, am sucking on my inhaler and not sleeping because of it. My kids haven't been outside in days, they are getting cabin fever, but it's not safe to take them out for anything non-essential. I usually wouldn't consider church non-essential but we're not going tomorrow, for the sake of our health (especially mine, and my second daughter who takes everything to the lungs.) If it gets much worse we'll have to leave and go to my aunt's down where it's clearer air.
A friend I've known since jr. high, whose parents I'm close to, her dad is refusing to leave. He lives in a mandatory evacuation area. I'm trying to get hold of my dad to get him to talk to him (he really respects my dad.) My dad is at the Hollywood Bowl right now so not working so well.
So anyway, everyone is tense, scared, and not breathing well. Please, we could really use your love, thoughts, and prayers, or anything else you've got on your side. We need rain, we need protection for the firefighters and people living in threatened areas, and the people like me who have respitory problems who are being overwhelmed with the smoke.
I may also need to vent so I'll probably do that in this thread, too.
(Don't get me started on some of the things that led to this fire getting so big so quickly.)
Posted by CaySedai (Member # 6459) on :
I'll pray for you and your family.
Posted by scholarette (Member # 11540) on :
My thoughts and prayers are with you and your neighbors.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
(((((ketchups)))))
Posted by Darth_Mauve (Member # 4709) on :
You've got the Sasha-clan's prayers, wishes, and support.
Posted by BlackBlade (Member # 8376) on :
The household of BlackBlade will pray for your community.
Hopefully we can stop asking God to assist in what should be a preventable problem.
Posted by Armoth (Member # 4752) on :
Thoughts and Prayers with you
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
Thought and prayers heading your way.
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
My mom evacuated at 3 in the morning. (Luckily, because of my warnings to her about evacuations, she was packed, her cats only took a few minutes to cage, and she had called her friend in West L.A. to warn her she might turn up.) But today she's reading reports that the fire has turned so she's trying to figure out if she's still under evac order, and if not, whether she has electricity if she goes back (because her house would be pretty unliveable without a/c.)
Posted by King of Men (Member # 6684) on :
Now, if only we could identify someone in a similar situation who is not being prayed for, then we could see what works.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
You could volunteer.
Posted by Brinestone (Member # 5755) on :
Good luck with everything. That sounds terrifying and very difficult to live with. I kind of like to breathe, you know?
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
I like to breathe too.
The fire is so huge, it's making its own wind right now. *sigh* We drove to Pasadena (my aunt's house) for fresh(er) air today. The kids got to play outside which, due to air quality, they haven't in days. It was nice. When we drove back we saw the fires all over. They're coming down, toward Altadena, JPL, Tujunga. More friends evaced tonight.
Posted by Selran (Member # 9918) on :
I live in Lancaster. There is a solid wall of smoke over the mountains. My friend had to drive down the 14 Saturday. He said visibility was down to a few feet in some spots. The drive wasn't that bad this morning, but there was a really strong smoke smell all the way to Sylmar, where I work. I'm surprised the air was clear in Pasadena.
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
Friends from church lost their house last night.
Pasadena was clear because yesterday the wind was blowing the smoke the other way.
Posted by Christine (Member # 8594) on :
Did your dad convince your friend to leave?
I've been thinking about you and reading the news obsessively. It seems California has wildfires every year but I never had a "face" to put on it before.
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
He didn't but the fire turned away from them.
My dad has been evacuated. The evacuation line is 1 1/2 blocks above us. The kids are all coughing. It's time for us to go. I've called Jeff to find a hotel that will take cats, come home from work, and help us get ready to go.
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
We're going to Glendale, for at least 2 nights. Wasn't really in the budget, but we don't have much of a choice. All the relatives with room to take us are out of state, or in the evacuation area. Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
*hugs*
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
I'm realizing I've been kind of pissy the last few days, possibly to people on here (my memory of the last few days is not great.) I'm really stressed about this. I want to apologize if I've been rude to anyone.
And now I have to go reassure my 5 year old, who is worried that our house (or Grandma's, or Grandpa's) is going to burn down. Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
I'm about to sign off. I won't have a computer where we're going (laptop screen is busted.) So if anyone needs to reach us, we'll have our cell phones.
Posted by Boon (Member # 4646) on :
Praying for the best outcome possible for everyone. Current info. Posted by Shan (Member # 4550) on :
Oh, KQ -- thoughts and prayers to you and your family, friends and community. Hang in there. *hugs*
Posted by Sterling (Member # 8096) on :
California just can't catch a break, lately, can it?... Best of luck, Clan Ketchup.
Posted by Amka (Member # 690) on :
More prayers headed that way. Hope things turn out.
Posted by BlackBlade (Member # 8376) on :
Please post when you can so Tiffany and I know you are alright.
I'm sure there are others who'd want to know as well.
Posted by aspectre (Member # 2222) on :
Extraordinarily evocative photos from an unexpected source.
Posted by Samprimary (Member # 8561) on :
I'm a time zone away and these fires turned the moon bright orange for me.
Posted by aspectre (Member # 2222) on :
"The smoke over Colorado -- which has made the mountains west...invisible from downtown Denver -- has come directly from the massive 85,000-acre wildfire in Southern California." Actually the StationFire was already spread over 122,000acres/190sq.miles/492sq.kilometres by the time that was published.
[ September 02, 2009, 07:00 PM: Message edited by: aspectre ]
Posted by BlackBlade (Member # 8376) on :
Holy crap, does that mean the smoke currently making all the mountains hard to make out here in Utah partially from the California fires as well?
Posted by Farmgirl (Member # 5567) on :
Yep.
Our sunset was very hazy here in Kansas last night. Probably from that high-level smoke cast that Denver is experiencing over the mountains..
Posted by Wendybird (Member # 84) on :
I'm down in Tucson and have been coughing and clearing my throat more with what is in the air. Our sunset was spectacular tonight. Its sad it comes at such a high cost though.
Posted by aspectre (Member # 2222) on :
[ September 06, 2009, 12:10 PM: Message edited by: aspectre ]
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
Yep, now they need to find out what (*^(^5657() set the thing. They think it was deliberate. Posted by King of Men (Member # 6684) on :
If so, whoever it was has presumably destroyed the evidence rather effectively.
I note that, if you want to look for human agency in this thing, some lone nut with a lighter may be the one going to prison. But the people who insist on squelching every minor fire and preventing the natural burn-throughs until finally you get such an accumulation of dry trees that nothing can stop the conflagration - those people might want to do a bit of thinking about whether they're really doing the right thing.
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
Oh, there were a lot of people responsible for the way what happened happened. Including the people who cut funding to the people responsible for controlled burns and brush control in this area. Oh, and the people who refused to allocate resources to fight it the first day when it was more controllable.
That doesn't mean the guy who lit the fire shouldn't go to jail.
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I'm glad all is well.
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