Southern Californians please stay safe.

[KitchenWitch]

Looks like we are having the fire storms again.

x(

:grouphug:

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. My dear KW...

You know we're safe here, and I hope you are too...

The sky is a weird shade of yellow-orange...

And tiny bits of ash are falling over everything...

:hug:

[KitchenWitch]

2. It is about 10 miles from us

But it is 10 canyon miles, so one never knows if it will get close or not.

[Zoigal]

3. Thanks, KW

The sky is totally overcast with smoke, etc here in Pedro.
How's it going where you live? z

[KitchenWitch]

5. The big plume'o'smoke is passing a bit north of us. But that could change

The actual fires are about 10 miles from us.

[nini]

9. booooooooooo Pedro

:evilgrin:


I grew up in Wilmas :D

be careful up there - I heard the smoke is really bad. I've got a friend up by Averill Park and she says it's pretty bad over there.

[cherokeeprogressive]

4. Yorba Linda has NO water pressure. Heads will surely roll over that.

Watching the houses start on fire one by one is such a helpless feeling. I have friends who live in YL and Brea and La Habra that I can't get in touch with.

This is making me want to cry.

[KitchenWitch]

6. Me too

My blood pressure is taking a huge hit tonight.

[kestrel91316]

7. Ash falling like snow today, gray air, strong smoke smell.

I opted out of some shopping and came straight home from work and have been watching the live tv coverage all afternoon. Now they say there is a flareup of the Sylmar fire in the Newhall Pass, and the freeways are shit again.

Oops, lol. Just caught that Freudian slip. "Shut".

[KitchenWitch]

12. Yeah, all routes north are pretty much out of commission.

The 91 is closed through Anaheim and Corona.

[JI7]

8. i can smell the smoke and i'm not in the area of danger

has this always been such a big problem before ? i know there have been fires but it seems things are worse now .

[cherokeeprogressive]

10. Our fires in the San Bernardino Mtns last year made Las Vegas look like it was overcast.

[JI7]

11. i just wish it would rain, we haven't really had any rain so far

[cherokeeprogressive]

13. Since July 1 we've had just a hair over two inches here in Big Bear Lake.

It would take years of above average rainfall to make this place anything less than a tinderbox though. The bark beetles have killed about twenty percent of the pine trees. Those trees might be dead, but they still contain barrels of pine oil per tree. The only way to eradicate the beetles is mucho rainfall.

[melody]

24. I used to live in BB City -- that little rainfall is astounding

And frightening.

[KitchenWitch]

14. I am expecting to have the raining ash soon

I just have to say I LOVE the DC-10 tanker. It always makes me happy to see it.

[kestrel91316]

15. Now they are reporting that police chief Bratton is concerned that

people may have died in the Sylmar fire ar the Oakridge mobile home park. There appear to be a lot of cars left in driveways. There are a lot of seniors living there, many elderly and with limited mobility, and this thing hit late at night when people would have been sleeping.

[KitchenWitch]

16. Yes, it is my understanding that they have designated the Sylmar fire as a crime scene

[uppityperson]

17. oh. hell. eom

[cherokeeprogressive]

19. I heard a firefighter there say this morning that many people were evacuated

in or on emergency vehicles.

Let's hope they all were. Just a few minutes ago someone from the medical examiner's office said that no bodies have been found.

[kestrel91316]

22. They have to wait until the embers cool down in order to do a thorough search

with the cadaver dogs.

[Lebam in LA]

18. The sky has gotten pretty bad in the past hour

We've had clear skies up until about an hour ago. I took the dogs for a walk and 5 minutes after leaving the house the sky turned orange.

LAX (area between the fires)

[KitchenWitch]

20. Sorry. That sucks.

[Lebam in LA]

21. Our air problem is nothing compared

to all those people near the fires. My heart goes out to everyone that is in danger.

[melody]

23. Air quality health in fire zone, shelters for people and animals, emergency assistance

Air advisory and guidelines during brushfires
http://www.lapublichealth.org/phcommon/public/media/mediapubhpdetail.cfm?prid=645

Here's the important part:
The following recommendations will help you protect yourself and your family from harmful effects of bad air quality:

# If you see or smell smoke, or see a lot of particles and ash in the air, avoid unnecessary outdoor activity to limit your exposure to harmful air. This is especially important for those with heart or lung disease (including asthma), the elderly and children.
# If outdoor air is bad, try to keep indoor air as clean as possible by keeping windows and doors closed. Air conditioners that re-circulate air within the home can help filter out harmful particles. Avoid using air conditioning units that only draw in air from the outside or that do not have a re-circulating option. Residents should check the filters on their air conditioners and replace them regularly. Indoor air filtration devices with HEPA filters can further reduce the level of particles that circulate indoors.

# If it is too hot during the day to keep the doors or windows closed and you do not have an air conditioning unit that re-circulates indoor air, consider going to an air conditioned public place, such as a library or shopping center, to stay cool and to protect yourself from harmful air.

# Also, do not use fireplaces (either wood burning or gas), candles, and vacuums. Use damp cloths to clean dusty indoor surfaces. Do not smoke.

# If you have symptoms of lung or heart disease that may be related to smoke exposure, including severe coughing, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, wheezing, chest tightness or pain, palpitations, nausea or unusual fatigue or lightheadedness, contact your doctor immediately or go to an urgent care center.

When smoke is heavy for a prolonged period of time, fine particles can build up indoors even though you may not be able to see them. Wearing a mask may prevent exposures to large particles. However, most masks do not prevent exposure to fine particles and toxic gases, which may be more dangerous to your health.

Both of these are good links for general info (where it is, where it's moving, what shelters are open or full):


http://www.calfirenews.com/

http://lafd.blogspot.com/

Shelters for people and animals:
ALL PERSONS evacuated by the Sayre Fire are encouraged to visit an American Red Cross shelter or their website to register their well being, even if they will not be staying at these established shelters:

Sylmar High School
13050 Borden St.
Sylmar, CA 91342

San Fernando High School
11133 O'Melveny Ave
San Fernando, CA 91340

John F. Kennedy High School
11254 Gothic Ave.
Granada Hills, CA 91344

Chatsworth High School
10027 Lurline Ave.
Chatsworth, CA 91311

ANIMAL SHELTERS:

Mission Shelter (Dogs and Cats)
15321 Brand Blvd
Mission Hills, CA

Pierce College (Large Animals)
6201 Winnetka Avenue
Woodland Hills, CA 91371

Hansen Dam Equestrian Center (Horses Only)
11127 Orcas Avenue
Sylmar, CA 91342

There is updated information on:

AM 980 - KFWB (listen now)
AM 1070 - KNX (listen now)

HUMAN SERVICES, SHELTER AND SPECIAL NEEDS ASSISTANCE:

2-1-1 LA County: 2-1-1 or [phone]

American Red Cross, Los Angeles Chapter: [phone]

SMALL ANIMAL, EQUINE AND LIVESTOCK ASSISTANCE:

City of Los Angeles Department of Animal Services: [phone]

[shanti]

25. you too, kitchenwitch!

my sons are visiting with family in san clemente right now. i told then they should probably stay off the roads and let the emergency crews do their jobs, but they'd already gotten to their destination. orange county is definitely not immune to fires!

[MsKandice01]

26. My dad's in Yorba Linda...

Just off the 91 and Imperial Highway. He's more concerned about the Anaheim Hills fire than the Yorba Linda one. If it jumps the freeway, he may be in trouble.

[KitchenWitch]

27. I will keep your dad in my thoughts and prayers

I am nervous as hell right now. I am in northern Irvine.