Wow, Jessica, what an ordeal...hope you're doing okay. and the doggies too of course. how awful. I watched the news tonight and saw the fires...very scary.
well, take care, gotta go get some rest.
love, Soozie

That's awful Jessica! Hope you, Alex and your dogs will be okay

Oh, Jessica. What a story. Stay safe, hon.

Jessica, I am thinking about you a lot and about other southern CA friends. Stay safe. What a horrorshow!

Stay safe Jessica & Alex. (and puppies). This is just nuts.

Jessica ditto stay safe. Boy when California gets hit it gets HIT!

Sending : for everyone in CA. How awful.

I'm in San Bernardino, and the fires are making the world look like it's ending. Everything is orange, and there are ashes and soot all over. People are coughing and eyes are burning. Those with asthma are in agony.

A lot of desks are empty today.

My sister called last night around 7 PM, saying she was being evacuated. My son tried to go by her house after he got off work, and he said the streets were barricaded, and all he could see were flames. He was positive her house was gone. I was late to work this morning, because I couldn't tear myself away from the TV news.

I talked to my dad just a little while ago, and found out my sister did NOT evacuate, and her home is okay. Thank God. So MANY people were not as fortunate.

Right now, we're waiting to hear if the fire has jumped the highway and has unimpeded access to the Lake Arrowhead region of the San Bernardino National Forest. If the fire reaches the lake area, all is lost. The trees there have been decimated by drought and bark beetle infestation, and thousands of them are standing, dead.

The Santa Ana winds are supposed to abate today. At times, they have gusted up to 60 MPH, and there is just no way to stay ahead of the flames driven by winds that strong. We've got firefighters from all over the State here, who have been battling these fires nonstop since last week. I understand that reinforcements are now arriving from out of State.

Even though my home has never been in a threatened area, I know of people who have been evacuated from neighborhoods you'd never DREAM of worrying about. And some of those people now have piles of rubble where once their entire lives were residing. In the midst of it all, I just wanted my family right NEXT to me, so I could see them, hear them, touch them, and know they were safe. I can surely understand how the parents of Jessica's students would have been hysterical, wanting to know the whereabouts and safety of their children. I've been a virtual zombie all morning, worrying about my sister and her family!

The acreage of land which has been destroyed by fire is about the equivalent of the State of Rhode Island. The mind simply cannot comprehend devastation on that huge of a scale.



~VOW

VOW, reading your post sent chills up my spine. Hugs and prayers for you and your sister and her family. And for EVERYONE down there.

I'm glad your family is safe!

Vow- glad to hear your family is okay it must be terrifying for everyone living in that area!

I am sending prayers for rain to that area!

Jessica and VOW- Sorry to hear that you two and all your family and friends are so close to the fires. It is so scary just WATCHING it on tv, and you two must be frantic worrying about everyone. Lots of hugs and good vibes coming your way from Mich. HOPE IT RAINS!!!!!

Oooh, how sad! I hope you all stay safe and sound.

VOW, hope all is well with you. We went through the same **** this summer in British Columbia, and although I wasn't personally affected, many friends were. Safety vibes being sent your way.

We had the same issues in the NWT a few years back, before I left Yellowknife. As an Insurance broker at the time, I heard more than a few stories of total loss and destruction.

Come to think of it, half the NWT burns every year, but it's not normally so close to home.