So Cal Wild Fires

Growing up as a child in Southern California, my favorite time of the year was October. Why? Because October meant that the Santa Ana winds came in, and I loved the warm, gusty weather conditions. While I still enjoy the winds, what I didn't understand as a child was that Santa Ana winds meants increased fire danger -increased dryness, low-humidity, and hot temperatures all equate to a perfect recipe for fire disaster...and that is exactly what is happening in seven Southern California counties right now. While the majority of my information is centered on the San Diego fires (we have many family and friends who live specifically in these cities), I understand there are also fires in Malibou (Los Angeles), and Lake Arrowhead (San Bernardino).

According to a news article from the North County times, the fires started Sunday night and spread quickly due to wind gusts up to 80 mph. Late Sunday night, Governor Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency for the following counties: San Diego, Riverside, Orange, Los Angeles, Ventura, San Bernardino, and Santa Barbara.

As of Tuesday morning, more than 300,000 Southern California residents have been forced to evacuate their homes. My in-laws, as well as many other close family friends, are included in that number(the entire town of Fallbrook was ordered to evacuate last night). As far as I know, all our family and friends are safe at this point. We don't know about all the homes, but I think most are hoping for the best, but anticipating the worst.

I haven't received an update yet this morning, but here is the most current info I could find online:

• Fire officials also said they were trying to keep the blaze from going south of Highway 76. If the flames were to enter the San Luis Rey River valley, authorities said they were not sure they could stop the fire from heading into Oceanside.
• By late Monday night, roughly 120 firefighters and 25 engines fought the blaze. The fire was being held at Gird Road and Live Oak Park Road to the west, East Mission Avenue to the north and Rice Canyon Road to the east.
• While the number of acres burned stood at around 1,000 Monday night, the so-called Rice fire had become the most devastating in Fallbrook's history in a little over 12 hours, in terms of the number of homes lost.
• Various reports said that an entire park full of mobile homes had burned down, leaving hundreds of residents homeless. Other homes near that park, dubbed "Valley Oaks," had gone down in flames, while a neighborhood of condos attached to the Pala Mesa Resort had also perished.

I am not trying to be the Debbie Downer of the situation - I am merely trying to relay information to keep everyone informed. For anyone who may not be familiar with the severity of So Cal wildfires, please keep reading and keep all those affected in your prayers.