N California's Disaster: Fire!

[Bonny]

1,500 homes and businesses burned already.

I woke up to a strange sky and the smell of smoke. And I'm over 50 miles away.

www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/Latest-on-North-Bay-fires-A-really-rough-12263721.php

[lynnerself]

My SIL in Napa is under an evacuation alert. Car and camper packed and ready to go. Fire officials in the apartment parking lot adjacent shopping center. And no cell service.

[Bonny]

Oct 9, 2017 16:33:43 GMT -5 lynnerself said:

My SIL in Napa is under an evacuation alert. Car and camper packed and ready to go. Fire officials in the apartment parking lot. And no cell service.

Are the evacuation routes clear? There was a video of a man and his wife who walked to an evacuation center because of a traffic jam at 3am.

This is going to be a mess since it's such a populated area.

[lynnerself]

Oct 9, 2017 16:45:06 GMT -5 Bonny said:

Oct 9, 2017 16:33:43 GMT -5 lynnerself said:

My SIL in Napa is under an evacuation alert. Car and camper packed and ready to go. Fire officials in the apartment parking lot. And no cell service.

Are the evacuation routes clear? There was a video of a man and his wife who walked to an evacuation center because of a traffic jam at 3am.

This is going to be a mess since it's such a populated area.

I just read a facebook post and my BIL says they are fine and will probably be safe even tho there are fires one mile away.

[kittensaver]

I'm currently in the very southern tip of LA County, and the smoke from the Anaheim Hills fire is clouding the sky and turning the sun red . . . .

www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-anaheim-hills-fire-20171009-story.html

[souldoubt]

Someone I know through work had to be evacuated due to the Anaheim Hills fire while some people they know lost their houses.  About an hour ago half the phones in the office went off due to evacuation alerts in local areas.  Quite a few people in the office are watching what's happening with these fires because they're pretty close as one's less than 5 miles away.  There's ash and smoke at my house which is at least 15 miles away from it all. 

[NastyWoman]

Oct 9, 2017 16:19:17 GMT -5 Bonny said:

1,500 homes and businesses burned already.

I woke up to a strange sky and the smell of smoke. And I'm over 50 miles away.

www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/Latest-on-North-Bay-fires-A-really-rough-12263721.php

I could smell it this morning as well and I am probably another 50 miles farther south...

[TheOtherMe]

One of my Paul McCartney friends evacuated during the night.  Got in to a traffic jam and were stuck for about 2 hours.  They have finally made it to her sister's work place which has a garage so they could take animals. 

They have been hearing about homes burned in their area but they don't know about their house.

[siralynn]

Fortunately everyone I know personally is safe and accounted for, but still waiting to hear re some colleagues' homes. One member of my vanpool has checked in. His house is still standing, but the fire got within six houses. I'm not optimistic for my other colleague's home. So much devastation.

[saveinla]

It looks really scary - both fires , fueled by the Santa Ana winds. Hope everyone got out safe.

When we had the fires close to our home, it made us realize what is really important.  Hoping the rains come tomorrow. Stay safe everyone who is close to the fires.

[Bonny]

Oct 9, 2017 18:14:31 GMT -5 NastyWoman said:

Oct 9, 2017 16:19:17 GMT -5 Bonny said:

1,500 homes and businesses burned already.

I woke up to a strange sky and the smell of smoke. And I'm over 50 miles away.

www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/Latest-on-North-Bay-fires-A-really-rough-12263721.php

I could smell it this morning as well and I am probably another 50 miles farther south...

Did you feel the earthquake around 5:30pm?

I didn't but it would have put everyone in a world of hurt with two disasters at the same time.

[NastyWoman]

Nope, but I was still at work in PA. Asked a friend in Campbell and he didn't feel it either

[Iggy aka IG]

I lived in Sonoma County for 10 years.  Most friends who still live there have checked in on FB.  I am waiting for texts from two others. 

[Bonny]

Still no containment. Absolutely horrific.

I have a gf in Windsor. She says the fire is about 1mi from her house. They are watering down their houses. Ash and embers are coming through the air. Their gas has been turned off in order to avoid explosions. They were told to get their propane tanks out of their backyards. No cable, internet or TV. Cell phone coverage is spotty.

I've offered our house if she needs to evacuate.

[thyme4change]

I can't imagine if half my neighborhood burned down and my house was still standing. It is easier for me to imagine the whole hood going down and we are all suffering together. But there is a line somewhere that the guy on one side of the street is devastated and the guy on the other side is not. Ugh.

I'm wondering if I should postpone my remodel until everyone rebuilds from all this shit.

[Iggy aka IG]

I have numerous friends up and down Nor Cal.  My friend in Windsor said they evacuated Monday up to Ukiah, but were allowed back.  As Bonny indicated, there's spotty cell coverage, no WiFi. No gas, no gasoline, no communication other than radio.  Comcast said they are offering free WiFi, but it apparently doesn't work.  The power was working as of last night at around 6 when I spoke with her.  A friend in Santa Rosa last night said folks down the street were evacuating, and they were packing as well.

Kmart, the Hilton, Round Barn, etc. have burned to the ground.  Kaiser and Sutter hospital were evacuated.  As of last night, 119,000 acres had burned.  Much more by today, I'm sure.

[busymom]

Oct 11, 2017 9:57:07 GMT -5 thyme4change said:

I can't imagine if half my neighborhood burned down and my house was still standing. It is easier for me to imagine the whole hood going down and we are all suffering together. But there is a line somewhere that the guy on one side of the street is devastated and the guy on the other side is not. Ugh.

I'm wondering if I should postpone my remodel until everyone rebuilds from all this shit.

    I'd postpone.  We've got building supply shortages here, from a big hailstorm in June that damaged roof, siding, & some neighborhoods lost windows.  We're still waiting for siding to come in, & there's also a worker shortage too.  I can't even imagine waiting months to get an entire house rebuilt.  

[souldoubt]

Oct 11, 2017 9:57:07 GMT -5 thyme4change said:

I can't imagine if half my neighborhood burned down and my house was still standing. It is easier for me to imagine the whole hood going down and we are all suffering together. But there is a line somewhere that the guy on one side of the street is devastated and the guy on the other side is not. Ugh.

I'm wondering if I should postpone my remodel until everyone rebuilds from all this shit.

We were talking about the fires last night and my mom told me about a fire in the early 90's in Laguna Beach, CA (google says 93) where a family friends house not only suffered no damage but was the only house on the street that didn't completely burn down.  Watching the Anaheim Hills fire on TV on Monday it was crazy seeing 1 house in a neighborhood on fire while none of the rest were impacted, at least at that time.  Some ash/ember was blown in from a fire however far away and some unlucky person has the one house or one of a few that catches fire, unreal.

[Bonny]

Oct 11, 2017 9:57:07 GMT -5 thyme4change said:

I can't imagine if half my neighborhood burned down and my house was still standing. It is easier for me to imagine the whole hood going down and we are all suffering together. But there is a line somewhere that the guy on one side of the street is devastated and the guy on the other side is not. Ugh.

I'm wondering if I should postpone my remodel until everyone rebuilds from all this shit.

Unfortunately, DH started some demo already.

It's going to be months and possibly years before folks are going to be done with the rebuilding. The folks below me whose house got crushed by a tree in January don't appear to have started construction until last month.

[cktc]

How's the stretch between Sacramento and Redding? My sister is taking her 3-month old up to visit family tomorrow and I'm trying not to worry.

[NastyWoman]

I'm sitting here in my office ~95 miles south of Santa Rosa and my office smells like I have a woodfire burning. And each time I check the number of confirmed victims it seems like the number of deaths has gone up.   

[Jaguar]

So very sorry everyone, my prayers are added. I have family in both Oregon and California.

[Bonny]

Tonight's sunset looks like the sky is on fire and not in a good way.

Air quality is supposed to be even worse tomorrow.

[Tennesseer]

I know his home is no more important than anyone else's home, but the loss of all the memorabilia is a sad day for the art and comics world.

'Peanuts' creator's home burns down in California fires

The home of Charles Schulz, the creator of the "Peanuts" comic strip, was lost in the wildfires that are ravaging Northern California this week, his son Monte Schulz said.

Schulz's widow Jean, 78, was evacuated from their split-level home in Santa Rosa on Monday shortly before the fire reduced it to rubble, Monte Schulz told CNN. She is safe and staying with family, he said.

"The things that they lost in there are irreplaceable," said Monte Schulz. "It's not just the memorabilia. It's that life that my stepmother had with him. It's completely gone."

Charles and Jean Schulz moved into their hillside home in Santa Rosa in the late 1970's, his son said. The cartoonist died in his home in 2000.

link

[Bonny]

Oct 13, 2017 10:27:14 GMT -5 Tennesseer said:

I know his home is no more important than anyone else's home, but the loss of all the memorabilia is a sad day for the art and comics world.

'Peanuts' creator's home burns down in California fires

The home of Charles Schulz, the creator of the "Peanuts" comic strip, was lost in the wildfires that are ravaging Northern California this week, his son Monte Schulz said.

Schulz's widow Jean, 78, was evacuated from their split-level home in Santa Rosa on Monday shortly before the fire reduced it to rubble, Monte Schulz told CNN. She is safe and staying with family, he said.

"The things that they lost in there are irreplaceable," said Monte Schulz. "It's not just the memorabilia. It's that life that my stepmother had with him. It's completely gone."

Charles and Jean Schulz moved into their hillside home in Santa Rosa in the late 1970's, his son said. The cartoonist died in his home in 2000.

link

Most of the memorabilia is actually in a museum elsewhere in Santa Rosa which didn't burn. Not sure that makes it any easier for the family and their loss but to comic fans there's still a reason for a future visit.

What is so scary is that the wildfires for the most part are in the 5% range containment. I think these fires are going to keep burning for another week. So horrific for everyone involved.

[dee27]

Some of my friends were under mandatory evacuation; one friend had a houseful of guests who were evacuated from other areas closer to the fire, and then everyone had to move again to a shelter. The scariest moment was when she was listed as deceased by the fire officials who were marking houses that were evacuated and houses that had deceased people slated for the morgue. However, the woman who died had a similar name, but my friend could not return calls because her cell needed to charge. At least, her close relatives knew she was okay because they were with her.

[Bonny]

Oct 13, 2017 14:54:04 GMT -5 dee27 said:

Some of my friends were under mandatory evacuation; one friend had a houseful of guests who were evacuated from other areas closer to the fire, and then everyone had to move again to a shelter. The scariest moment was when she was listed as deceased by the fire officials who were marking houses that were evacuated and houses that had deceased people slated for the morgue. However, the woman who died had a similar name, but my friend could not return calls because her cell needed to charge. At least, her close relatives knew she was okay because they were with her.

I've heard about the problem with contacting people. So many had to leave within minutes of notification; some without their phones or with their phones but no chargers.

I think the number of missing will go down from the current 500ish number but I do think the sheriffs are going to find a lot more bodies and the death toll will climb. Too many areas are still burning and too hot for investigators to look for folks they think may have perished in the blazes.

[Deleted]

This is horrible nightmare and I pray for everyone affected.  

[NastyWoman]

On the weather forecast last night they said that today would be low winds and that seems to be true since I don't smell the fire as much today. The air is filthy but little smell. However, they also predicted high winds starting tonight and well into tomorrow. That would make the situation even worse than it is now. Let's hope the forecast was only half right and the forecasted high winds will not develop

[Bonny]

One of the sweet stories about the fire:

www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Sonoma-Sheriff-cat-under-car-fires-12276377.php