Um, how is most of north and east county San Diego on fire? I just got off the phone with my parents. My grandfather just got evacuated from his house and he's not sure whether or not it will be there when he gets back. Cal State San Bernadino is shut down and possibly on fire. My friend Nikki got evacuated from her apartment in Escondido, then she went to her father's house in Santee... but his house is near my grandfather's, so that's not looking hopeful. Her mother was evacuated 3 days ago and she's pretty sure her house has already burned. The lakes that are 2 blocks away from the house I grew up in are on fire. The hills accross the street from my high school are on fire. Both West Hills (my HS) and Santana (the other HS in Santee) have been shut down. My grandfather said the smoke is so thick that he couldn't see accross the street and it was dark inside the house in the middle of the day. He couldn't turn on the lights because the power was out, so he was using flashlights to gather important documents and pack his bags.
My roommate has an aunt in Tierra Santa (a city in San Diego county) and she is pretty sure her house is gone. She lives on the edge of a canyon and she was evacuated early this morning.
I'm just blown away by how extensive the fires are. The Santa Ana winds have caused things to get completely out of control. Crazy shit.
Posted by j*2the*olie at October 26, 2003 09:21 PMwow. crazy shit indeed. hope your grandfather and anyone else you know from santee is ok. and people you don't know. guess i shouldn't leave them out of my good wishes.
Posted by: erica on October 26, 2003 09:29 PMI'm glad I'm in your good wishes though you don't know me. Yes, this area (San Diego) is a mess. I don't think my neighborhood will burn, but there is a thick layer of ash on the ground and leaving the house is pretty much out of the question for those of us with respiratory issues. It's awful.
Posted by: robyn on October 27, 2003 01:38 AMOh yeah, I waited on a fairly well-to-do family tonight who's house had burned down earlier today. About half way through the meal, the father just burst into sobs, and the whole family followed.
I find it so sad that the rich areas like Rancho Santa Fe are getting the all the media coverage and aid, while the low-income housing quietly burns to the ground.
Posted by: robyn on October 27, 2003 01:48 AMisn't there always a layer of ash on the floor of your apartment? Or at least of your bedroom.
Jason, are all of your people ok? LA isn't lookin so great either.
Posted by: Jolie on October 27, 2003 06:09 AMoh crap, i forgot i knew people down there. i hope you guys stay okay, and jolie i hope your family is ok, and generally i am just all around hopeful for everyone.
Posted by: didofoot on October 27, 2003 08:03 AMSorry Jas, I don't mean to worry people. It's hard out here to have a grasp on how extensive things are.
Posted by: Jolie on October 27, 2003 08:18 AMI just got an email from my mother assuring me that my family in LA is all right and no one's lost their house yet, although some of my cousins in Simi aren't going to be able to go to school today.
It's a world of guilt. While I can believe that I never bothered to ask how they were doing fire-wise, I "can't believe that I never bothered to ask how they were doing fire-wise".
Posted by: dianna on October 27, 2003 08:22 AMhas anyone checked in with jenny and marina? i have no conception of where different people live in san diego, so maybe it's a mute point, but just thought i'd ask.
Posted by: erica on October 27, 2003 12:28 PMi emailed them but have no reply. marina, i know is in santa barbara area right now though. i think. and jenny lives pretty damn far north of san diego by the ocean so i think she is ok.
Posted by: michele on October 27, 2003 01:38 PMMarina should be fine. I don't know exactly where Jenny lives, but my friend in North County have been evacuated (I'm pretty sure that Jenny lives in North County)... however, the closer to the ocean she is, the better. My peeps are all in the eastern part of North County.
On the up side, my grandpa got to go back to his house and it wasn't burned down!!!! We are all very excited about this. They stopped the fire about 200 yards from his house. I think that he's going to gather more stuff and take it back to my parent's house, just in case. But things are looking up. Well, at least for my grandfather.
Posted by: Jolie on October 27, 2003 03:21 PMjenny says that she is fine so far and sort of out of the way though there are flying embers all the time.
marina moved you know? i'm not sure where exactly she lives now though. it's by the beach too i know though.
yey for your grandfather!
Posted by: michele on October 27, 2003 10:00 PMyeah, I knew Marina moved... I just assumed that she was fairly close to the ocean, since that's where UCSD is. =) Does she like her new place? (Marina, if you are reading this, feel free to answer on your own behalf) =)
Posted by: Jolie on October 28, 2003 06:03 AMThanks for all the speculation. I actually live in Solana Beach. (Santa Barbara? Michele, come on here.) The only people dying in these fires are the immobile and those determined to protect their meth labs with their lives. We are quite mobile and have no particular sentimental attachment to our lab. Fret not. Also, Marina is a loser. (This latter half has been so graciously contributed by Mark).
Posted by: Marina on October 29, 2003 12:30 PMdood! i know you don't LIVE in santa barbara, but i approximate ventura to be santa barbara and i thought that was where you had gone for the last week.
Posted by: michele on October 29, 2003 01:42 PMMarina, I'm glad you are safe. Where the hell is solana beach?
Posted by: Jolie on October 29, 2003 08:12 PMHey! Marina lives by me now! As I live in Leucadia, which is just a little north of Solana Beach. And which, incidentally, is not on fire. Woo! Although Encinitas (which is very close) was on fire briefly. And someone's backyard a block from my parents' house burned down after a flying ember landed in it. Crazy.
Jolie, I'm glad your people are ok. Ours are too, though many of our close family friends were right in the middle of this whole thing. Most of them still have houses, so they're ahead of the game.
Posted by: jenny on October 31, 2003 12:50 PM