I'm 10 miles from a SoCal wildfire;ask me anything

[Scairp]

I'll try to answer as best I can.

[La_Serpiente]

1. Is it possible

you will be evacuated?

[TrogL]

2. Wind direction?

Towards you?

[pmbryant]

3. Can you smell the smoke?

I was living in Pasadena during the fall of 1993, which was the year of several huge SoCal fires (Altadena, Laguna Beach, Malibu) that destroyed dozens (hundreds?) of homes.

So I was only a few miles from the fire in the mountains above Altadena.

Woke up to the smell of smoke, thinking my roommate must have burnt some toast or something. But it was the brush fires 5 miles away.

Seeing the glow on the mountainsides at night the next few days was quite eerie.

--Peter

[Scairp]

4. Well...

We will not be evacuated. We are not in a burn zone. It would have to be a conflagration of biblical proportions to get to us as we live far enough away from the hills and the dry brush that is the fire's fuel. It is getting smokier (that a word?) and we have ash all over, kind of like snow flurries. It is about 10 miles to the NE of us, and the smoke has begun to blow more toward our direction. I can both see it and smell it. I'll have to close the windows soon because the house will get smoky if I don't.

[La_Serpiente]

5. Do you think any homes will be burned down this year?

How long will the dry season last? I hope not till winter.

[Scairp]

6. Yes I do

We are unusually hot for this time of year. It is forecast to be nearly 100 degrees tomorrow, which is the worst possible news when there is a fire burning. It is not uncommon for the rains to start by October but so far nothing. I think we are in for a miserable weekend. Oh, and my power has already gone out once this morning and could happen again, according to the local news anyway.

[La_Serpiente]

7. Are they really building super wal marts there?

And how is the strike going?

[Scairp]

8. That's the rumor

The strike sucks but so does Wally World. Oakland,CA has already put the kibash on any Supercenters but I'm sure they will find cities who will not fight them. I don't forsee any in my immediate area.

As far as the strike goes, it has become a hardship for everyone. I may have to cross the picket line because I cannot find the juice we drink so much of anywhere else. I am going to the fruit stand for produce and the drive-thru for milk and bread because I don't cook anyway. But I can't find my juice and that's a problem.

[La_Serpiente]

9. Do you think L.A. and San Fran will stop them?

And didn't Gray Davis sign a law on Big Box stores a few years ago?

[Scairp]

10. S. F.

Probably more likely than L.A. I think I recall something like that but don't have the details. I remember wondering when I first moved to CA why there were no Supercenters.

[A-Schwarzenegger]

20. You're going to cross the picket line for juice?

What kind of juice?

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

23. What brand of juice?

[Scairp]

24. Ocean Spray

Cranberry blends, light. Can't find it anywhere but the big grocery store chains like Albertson's and Ralph's. Tried Stater Bros. but they didn't have, nor did they have the yogurts I eat. I know it may sound dumb but we drink A LOT of it. I gotta have my juice.

[A-Schwarzenegger]

25. Go to health food store, get unsweetened cranberry juice

and add your own sweetener. Too much trouble? Not
as good as Ocean Spray? Try going on strike.
Try not getting your paycheck.
Try the fear and anxiety and anger of what the
strikers and their families are going through.
If Dems won't back a striking union, what's the point?

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

26. Trader Joe's has some GREAT juices and yogurts

and all LITE means is MORE sugar...I would STRONGLY urge you to find an alternative if you could.


Striking UNION workers prevailing creates competition for ALL grocery companies to provide better benefits.

I shop at a middle eastern market for my juices and yougurts...the benefits are that produce is cheaper too and there is NOTHING like a glass of sour cherry juice.

[Scairp]

27. More sugar?

Not according to the label, which says the light version has 10g of sugar per serving, as opposed to 30g in the regular.

[niyad]

11. I was there about 5 years ago when there was a huge fire

right around SB-- drove through part of it coming back from redlands. very scary.

please keep us posted, and know that all of you out there are in our thoughts and prayers

[Bertha Venation]

12. I'm a So Cal native...

Where are you?

I wish destruction and fear on no one, but thinking of the smell of brushfires makes me SO homesick.

[Scairp]

14. Upland

I am not in danger, but Rancho Cucamonga, the city next door to mine, is having a lot of problems. Personally, the smell of smoke just makes me plain sick to my stomach. Feel sorry for anyone with asthma or other respiratory problems.

[SoCalDem]

21. I live about 4 miles from the Reche Canyon fire..

I had so hoped we would "skate" this fire season, then some assholes decided we needed some fire, just as the santanas arrive..:(

[RobertSeattle]

Is it Grey Davis' fault?

[Scairp]

16. I don't think so

Unless he was camping out last night and started an unauthorized campfire.

[donotpassgo]

13. where is the fire???? Im in Westwood and it looks really hazy.

I knew something wasn't right when it looked like 6AM when it was really 10:30

[Scairp]

15. Fontana, Lytle Creek, Rancho Cucamonga

We have ash falling and smoke is fairly thick here. The 15 freeway is shut and so is part of the 210.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

17. There's one in Camp Pendleton too

[radwriter0555]

18. Wow. my kid gets on a bus from Big Bear any moment, heading back into

LA by 3 ish... Wonder if that's gonna be a problem?

[Scairp]

19. What route does it take?

If they take the 15 forget it.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

22. They can avoid the 15 and come down the 330 to the 10 so they are probably

fine.

Here is an article:

Emergency Alert System Activated In Wildfire Areas


LYTLE CREEK, Calif., 11:58 a.m. PDT October 24, 2003 - As flames pushed by 25 mph and higher winds jumped ridges and roads on a march toward residential areas, an emergency alert system message from the San Bernardino County Emergency Operations Center was issued Friday morning.




Because of the potential danger of the Grand Prix Fire, authorities and the San Bernardino County Sheriffs Department have initiated further mandatory evacuation of the areas east of Day Creek Boulevard and north of Banyan Street in Rancho Cucamonga. This is in addition to Thursday night's mandatory evacuation of the Lytle Creek Canyon community.
The American Red Cross set up an emergency shelter site at the Rancho High School in Rancho Cucamonga at 11801 Lark Drive, in addition to the existing emergency shelter site at the Jesse Turner Community Center in Fontana at 6396 Citrus Ave.


http://www.msnbc.com/local/KNBC/A1845419.asp

[donotpassgo]

28. There's friggin ash falling from the sky all the way in Westwood!!!

[proud patriot]

29. ummmm....A new one just started

:-(