Books We Love Insider Blog: California Wildfires

Saturday, September 28, 2024

Southern California Wild Fires--Not in My Back Yard! By Connie Vines #California Wildfires, #Southern California Earthquakes, #Ontario California Fires, #Tornado, #Heatwave,

Thank you for stopping by today :-)

It's been quite a month in the Southern California suburbs!

Are you familiar with the chant, "Lions, Tigers, and Bears. Oh, my!"

"And here we go again!"

Let's begin my blog post with an intro:

August shoved its heat wave into September.

From my front yard, a majestic view of the San Gabriel Mountains, while my backyard features a panoramic view of the San Bernardino Mountain Range.

In my world, Temps 109 degrees w/o a breeze.
San Gabriel Mountain Range.

Then, on a quiet morning, there were earthquakes—2.3, 2.3, and 2.5 magnitude, epicenter Ontario. Yikes!

Three local wildfires are gaining media attention, and two are in nearby mountain ranges!

The Bridge Fire San Gabriel Mt. Range

Line Fire Flames

The Line Fire: San Bernardino Mt. Range 10 freeway ramp

The ash is floating in the air, and we are wearing masks to filter it.

The Fires created an atmosphere of their own: winds and dry lightning strikes. The firefighters are working 24-hour shifts.

The National Guard was now deployed. (I live .8 miles away from the Armory). Having been raised in a military family, I was becoming increasingly concerned.

Next, we were placed on a tornado watch. 🌪

Meanwhile, additional, more significant earthquakes centered in Malibu are reaching us, as are aftershocks and air quality alerts. Stay indoors warnings with reminders to prepare for power outages (it's still 109 degrees) via text messages keep us on edge.

And...

The fires getting nearer.

While the smoke blocks a complete view of the mountains, we can see the flames crawling and jumping along the ridges.

Across the street: my neighbor's home.! No one is sleeping tonight.

The following day, fires reached the base of the mountains, threatening local homes and a Junior College.

Chaffey J.C.

And we wait...

September 12th (pm).

Evacuations were not city-wide except for the residences at the base of the foothills. We are thankful to all the firefighters, first responders, the National Guard, and firefighters from nearby countries who are still fighting these uncontained wildfires.

Sadly, the mountain towns of Wrightwood, Angelos Oaks, and Forest Falls (featuring Meridith's cabin in Here Today, Zombie Tomorrow, and a local eatery) are still threatened by the fire, as are the residents of Big Bear Lake (their only evacuation route is Highway 18). As of yesterday, over 37,000 acres have been destroyed, and 53,000 acres have been destroyed in the Bridge Fire.

Meanwhile, the airport fire (Trabuco Canyon, Orange/Riverside), at 24,000 acres, currently threatens 3K homes.

Update: The arson suspect in California's Line Fire sparked two other fires the same day, maybe linked to more blazes (credit: Yahoo News)