Southern California is Burning (Again!)

By Alex in Travel on Nov 15, 2008 at 4:35 pm

That’s the Sylmar fire that’s raging in Southern California. I took that photo just an hour or so ago from my backyard (I live just one city away). So far, it has destroyed 600 mobile homes and caused 10,000 residents to be evacuated. This fire comes right after the Montecito Tea Fire that destroyed more than 100 houses.

Fire is a constant worry here, and fire season is one big reason I don’t like living in SoCal. Last year, there were big fires closer to where I live, so I hope we don’t have a repeat of that this year. My condolences to those who lost their homes to the fires.

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CheeseDuck
Nov 15th, 2008 at 4:54 pm
I pray for your safety, Alex.
Jill Harness
Nov 15th, 2008 at 4:55 pm
I totally feel you Alex. I live in San Diego and have the same problem yearly it seems. At least I moved out of the rural area so the threat isn’t as bad now.

It’s almost becoming a common place thing. I was going to my mom’s today in Temecula and it seemed like it was no big deal that her boyfriend couldn’t come out this weekend because all the freeways are blocked.

I guess it’s the price we pay for not having to worry about blizzards every winter.
Skipweasel
Nov 15th, 2008 at 5:11 pm
What causes this? The view we get most commonly in the UK is that it’s caused by putting out small fires so there’s a build-up of brush which just piles up and up until you get a BIG fire.

Any truth behind that?

Oh – and good luck.
Bruno
Nov 15th, 2008 at 5:21 pm
Pity the “Mobile” homes weren’t really all that mobile.

Good luck to you.

I’ll be passing thru on the I-5 later this week, enroute from Canada to Vista.

Be Well.
jodie
Nov 15th, 2008 at 5:28 pm
hi jill harness – i’m here in temecula myself! it’s weird how we become used to the fires and earthquakes here in so cal. i’ve been here all my life and it seems like the fire season lasts longer every year. still, november is pretty late in the year for so many fires here…it’s more of an october thing. but it’s so darned hot out here right now. i’ve got a fan AND the a/c on. we need some rain and cool weather already.

my condolences, also, to all those affected by the fires.

jodie
Alex
Nov 15th, 2008 at 5:32 pm
Thanks guys!

@Skipweasel: Well, the terrain of Southern California (homes abutting dry hills) is definitely to blame. There’s also the Santa Ana winds, which can send embers flying miles away to start another fire.

I think the small fire suppression leading to big fire is more apropos to large forest fires – the type of grasses and brush that grow (and then get burned) in Southern California are largely driven by the cycle of rain/draught, not the presence or absence of small fires.
Skipweasel
Nov 15th, 2008 at 6:18 pm
Ah, right. So it’s time to build fireproof houses and keep the trees 100 yds back, yes?
Public*Relations
Nov 15th, 2008 at 6:38 pm
It is sad that an area with such beautiful weather and forestry has to experience earthquakes, droughts and fires…..

Florida and southern Texas have problems with Hurricanes in what is otherwise great weather and nature.

People have to weigh the environmental benefits with the possible natural catastrophes when deciding where to live. 99% of the time everything is blissful, but it boils down to those extremely rare instances of Murphy,s law when fate ultimately happens and you will lose virtually everything.
pen guy
Nov 15th, 2008 at 6:39 pm
Why on earth is a photo of disaster on”neat-o-rama” there is nothing neat about loss of property and even life. Sorry its in bad taste.
Alex
Nov 15th, 2008 at 6:59 pm
pen guy must be new to Neatorama
Jill Harness
Nov 15th, 2008 at 7:26 pm
Agreed Jodie I’m sweating up here and just from the weather, no fire heat over here.

It’s so sad how there’s a major emergency here every year down here. It’s terrible how many people lose their homes.
Jacki
Nov 15th, 2008 at 7:42 pm
That’s very sad to hear. I live further up north, the weather’s very mild here. Never too hot, or too cold. Fires are so destructive and sad to know that forestry and properties are being lost.
Ant
Nov 15th, 2008 at 8:31 pm
I can see the smokes from Brea.
monkey_town
Nov 15th, 2008 at 8:47 pm
I live a few miles from there and just about an hour to two hours ago the smoke cloud looks much larger than it was in the photo above. All the way to Burbank and almost to Glendale, the air is full of smoke. It’s particularly bad in Burbank, around Fry’s Electronics, where it was getting hard to breathe.
jodie
Nov 15th, 2008 at 11:04 pm
ahh, jacki, that sounds like heaven…never too hot and never too cold. i wanna move to where you live. also, i think northern cal is so much nicer than so cal. i’ve been in so cal all my life and everytime i go up north i’m surprised at how different it is in all the good ways. i’m sure many of my fellow so cal-er’s may not agree…but that’s the way i see it. Santa Cruz is one of my absolute fav places.
lovemeordie236
Nov 16th, 2008 at 12:18 am
That is just unfortunate. My condolences to anyone suffering loss.
Rocky Rook
Nov 16th, 2008 at 9:01 am
I always thought living in Texas was bad …. tornados, hurricanes flooding. But Cali has had a really bad year of fires. Earthquakes are bound to get worse too. Time to move east for them.
wookielover
Nov 16th, 2008 at 10:01 am
I drove by the fire on the way to Big Sur. It was crazy seeing a fire on the hill side while driving on the freeway. The smell was awful too!
chimatli
Nov 16th, 2008 at 10:35 am
The fires are unfortunate but there is lots of development in areas of Southern California where there shouldn’t be. The fires here are a natural component of our ecology. This should be taken into account with they build these elite housing villages like Coto de Caza. I live in urban Los Angeles, in a neighborhood that has been around for 125 years, so far no fires.
steve smith
Nov 16th, 2008 at 10:41 am
So one of the most valuable sections for real estate is a section of the country that has earthquakes and burns down each year? How weird.
Dougall
Nov 16th, 2008 at 12:46 pm
My best wishes to you Alex. I live in a pocket of very temperate climate, no forest fires, tsunami, etc., so I am very fortunate. Our country (Canada) is weathering the economic storm better than anywhere else, and I still have a job and a house, and food to eat. We count ourselves very lucky.
I understand fire though. I grew up in Northwestern Ontario (look west of Thunder Bay ON on Google maps) and we had major fires every summer. One year there was one fifty miles wide, and twenty from north to south about fifty miles from us – towns evacuated from the smoke, fears of towns burning up. I remember it well. I went to school in Wilmington CA and I remember fires in the hills. Makes you wonder why people live there. – Our thoughts are with you … Dougall
MENLOHEAVYWEIGHT
Nov 17th, 2008 at 4:34 pm
bummer
Ali S.
Nov 17th, 2008 at 7:56 pm
Ouch! I hope all our Californian readers are safe and sound! Good luck everyone!
Dirk
Apr 16th, 2009 at 11:30 am
Sorry to hear that unfortunate experience…my cousin also is in the same situation and she is planning on moving as well…Good luck and thanks again for sharing the photo and experience…Recently I came across a site which is very effective in providing Information and links about California travel Directory and Travel Search Engine related topics. Includes states/cities, hotels/motels, national parks, and cyber cafes.
livers
Jan 8th, 2010 at 7:05 am
Films such as mid-90s fare Reality Bites and Before Sunrise made him the poster boy for scruffy drifters (and got him best kiss nominations at the MTV Movie Awards)

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