[stephaniesquires]

Whatever your faith, religion or belief, please keep our firefighters in your thoughts and prayers.
We are having an epidemic of wildfires here in So Ca. Thankfully, so far none too close to my house. I have lived in Southern California my entire life and have never seen things this bad. Three new fires within 20 miles of me started since this morning.
In San Diego County they are evacuating 250,000 people. More homes on fire than they have people to fight them.
I am working from home today because the fire danger with the combination of winds, heat and low humidity is just to high. I live on the foothills and am 4 houses from the edge of the "wilderness".
The fires are stretching from San Diego to Santa Barbara and new fires are starting faster than the firefighters can keep up.
It is unreal to watch the news.

[Tonz of fun]

My lifelong friend since i was 4 is getting sent out there sometime this week. He is a firefighter for the county and is trained in wildfires. I know where your coming from. Wild fires are one of the most unpredictable fires he said.

[thelastmucci]

Are they evac. the marine base in San Diego...that would be unpressadented.

[stephaniesquires]

I haven't heard if they are evacuating the marine bases. Camp Pendleton is north and west of the fires - at least for now. They are evacuating most of Rancho Bernardo - an area inland - east of Miramar. So many people evacuated from San Diego area that there are no hotels available closer than Anaheim - which is 90 miles away.

New fire in N. L.A. County - started about 1 hour ago and has now burned 50 acres.

Thankfully only a few injuries - these guys know how to deal with fire - and one fatality.
Well over 50 homes in Lake Arrowhead are gone - I think that one started this morning. (Small community north east of me in the mountains)

We are supposed to have Santa Ana Winds for the next two days - that's what fuels these fires. We've had 70 mph gusts, and dryest year in many years.

Malibu area has had 200 homes evacuated.

We have these fires almost every year when the Santa Ana winds blow - but this year is unbelievable.

[stephaniesquires]

Originally Posted by Tonz of fun

My lifelong friend since i was 4 is getting sent out there sometime this week. He is a firefighter for the county and is trained in wildfires. I know where your coming from. Wild fires are one of the most unpredictable fires he said.

Tell him to hurry!!! The danger with these are their unpredictability. They are driven by the Santa Ana winds, but you can watch them burn in a direction going against the wind. They create their own wind and then the embers ignite fires miles away. Can't always use air support because of the high winds. Cant get on the ground with them because of the rugged terrain.

The Gov. has sent 1500 California National Guard to help fight the fires...

We need as much help as we can get - just too many fires this year..

[poochi487]

ya the fires are by my house and school thankfully the wind is not as bad as is was but there was just anouther fire in arrowhead there everwhere and the traffic is insane!

[stephaniesquires]

The local news station has been on the fires all day - the last time I remember the local news covering wilfires was the Laguna fire in 1993...

[rlcline76]

CNN hasn't talked about anything else today.
I honestly have no idea how anyone could live in California (This is coming from me, and I am from boring Illinois and will be returning there someday). When I was vacationing at Pendleton this past August, the news reported over 400 small tremors in one week. You have seismic activity, mudslides...fires. What is your insurance premiums like out there?

[thelastmucci]

My mother used to work for Amica Insurance and they really don't like writing policies out there so they have a few mandatory requirements.

1. You must have earthquake insurance
2. In order for you to get a policy there can't be any "brush" 100 ft near your home. That being said you'd probably need an acre just to do that.

My uncle lives in Glendale...not sure how far that is from Pendleton but he seems to like it. I personally hated CA...and I lived in the dessert.

[stephaniesquires]

Originally Posted by rlcline76

CNN hasn't talked about anything else today.
I honestly have no idea how anyone could live in California (This is coming from me, and I am from boring Illinois and will be returning there someday). When I was vacationing at Pendleton this past August, the news reported over 400 small tremors in one week. You have seismic activity, mudslides...fires. What is your insurance premiums like out there?

Who says CA doesn't have seasons - there are fires, followed by mudslides (rain on top of burned hillsides = mud) earthquakes and riots!!

Seriously, been here my whole life, and like anywhere you get used to the stuff. Major earthquakes are only every few years. I dont get out of bed for anything less than a 4.0 (those just rock and roll a little!!) Now the Loma Prieta Quake and Northridge were a little more exciting..
We know we're going to get Santa Ana winds every year, and a fire or two along with those, but this year is completely beyond anything anyone has ever seen. They've closed one of our courthouses so the Deputies could get out on the fire lines - Never before. If you are in a fire area you have to be prepared. Clear the brush and grass, have a good roof. We have a pump that will take water from the pool to water the house down if we need it because we are close to the San Bernerdino Forest.
I have earthquake, fire etc - and pay about $1600 a year on my house and about half that on my condo. (It's the property taxes that will kill you!!)

[stephaniesquires]

[quote=thelastmucci;51101]My mother used to work for Amica Insurance and they really don't like writing policies out there so they have a few mandatory requirements.

1. You must have earthquake insurance
2. In order for you to get a policy there can't be any "brush" 100 ft near your home. That being said you'd probably need an acre just to do that.

Yeah - it can be difficult to get insurance if youlive within 1/4 mile of a "fire zone" - basically anywhere in CA that is not covered in cement!!

The mountain areas, because of frequent fires and the bark beetles having killed all the pine trees cant get insurance. Lots of people i know have either cabins or their residences up there and there is nothing they can do. They last burned 4 years ago and lost maybe 30 homes, we thought that was bad - nothing compared to this year.

[NATIVEVAMAN]

Move to Virginia.We have earthquakes so rarely that when we a had a 4.3 everyone looked at each other and said "what was that"?.