Holy smokes...

It's been quite a week in Southern California. One week ago today the Santiago Fire broke out, courtesy of some lunatic for whom a $250K reward has been established - that's the latest figure. It was bad enough to know that a fire was close to Irvine and potentially threatening several homes, including the homes of people we know. It was worse when the fire started moving South, courtesy of our frequent visiting Santa Ana winds. In 24 hours, the fire moved exactly 50% in the direction of our home from the point of origin. The foothill areas of Lake Forest (Foothill Ranch and Portola Hills) were under voluntary evacuation, with a few streets under mandatory evacuation orders. (By the way, what is it with people that they won't get out of the @#%^$ way when they're told to leave the area????)

On Tuesday, as I was driving to take Larissa to school, I had a glimpse of the flames on the neighboring hills and the not-so-comforting presence of three sheriff's department cars parked a few blocks away from our house. The 241 Toll Road was closed at this point, and the Santa Anas continued to blow strong. We had blue skies while the rest of our Orange County area was covered in smoke and ashes. But unlike the rest of O.C., the fire was creeping closer to home. This is how we learned the importance of having an evacuation plan and a list in case of emergencies.

Wednesday got worse and better at the same time - the fire continued to travel in our direction, but the wind stopped its unrelenting blowing, which lowered the risk of the fire spreading in our direction, but allowed the smoke to cover our area completely. By Thursday, schools were closed. They remained closed on Friday, and activities all throughout the So O.C. area were rescheduled due to poor air quality.

All through this we received calls from the city reassuring us that we were under no imminent threat - which was nice, but if the city has to call you to let you know to "shelter in place", you're not the only one worried, and for good reason. The Orange County Fire Authority's Web site was my salvation and the one tool that helped me keep my sanity.

My heart goes out to those who lost their homes, those who lost their lives in the fires that continue to batter Southern California. It's been the worst year for this region, at least in recent history. Not even the Laguna or Malibu fires from a few years ago can compare with the devastation that's been experienced this time around. Now we head into winter and the potential for rain. Rain we desperately need, but rain I hope to God will come in small doses to spare the affected areas from the inevitable mud slides.