How My Family, Friends, and Home Are Affected by the Malibu Fires
When I first heard of the wild fires, they struck me as little more than the seasonal flames that came about every Summer and Autumn in California, especially in the Los Angeles County areas. That a fire had struck Malibu was of no particular concern to me - it was when I was told by a close friend, living in Irvine, they were preparing an evacuation because the flames were so close that I began to realize that everything was beginning to get out of control.
I woke up this morning to much the same as I'd always expect - I heard that the fires were still raging and I tipped my hat to those of Irvine. It wasn't until then that I realized that not only was the city I had grown up in, Los Angeles, under threat of this inferno, but so too was my home of choice in beautiful San Diego. As far north in the San Diego County as San Marcos had their work places forcibly evacuated and as those who shuffled out of their office buildings looked up they were able to see billowing smoke and ash covering the air from a fire that officials said had, "Zero percent containment."
It seemed somehow bizarre that, just days after a devastating car crash incinerated commuters in a tunnel on the I-15, sending the small town of Newhall into mourning. I figured this would be enough grief for one year in the area - as I'd spent a good part of my childhood visiting relatives in this small suburb of Los Angeles. When fires swept over Santa Clarita, things could not seem to have gotten worse, until the city of Escondido, where I had lived a year and a half, was engulfed in the flames.
A friend of mine, who asked only to be identified as Heina, was visiting San Diego just yesterday when she was forced to return to Irvine, which is in similarly dire straits. Although she was not exposed to it for long, she now complains of pain in her lungs from ash inhalation.
"Malibu's burning up northward, San Diego's in a state of emergency, and Irvine hasn't been spared," she told me - and went on to jokingly refer to the incident as Apocalyptic.
There's some concern, as expressed by Victor De Las Casas, about the wild life kept in San Diego such as at the renown San Diego Zoo and Wild Animal Park.
"I get worried about friends who live out here in the fire zones, about animals, especially large animals such as horses and those at the wild animal park," he said. There has been some fear expressed also that, in a panic, some animal rights activists will attempt to "set loose" some of the animals so they won't get caught up in the inferno as has happened in many other disasters.
He also went on to explain the difficulties befalling businesses in the area.
"Just as an example as to the "cost" of this fire... my company has been working like mad on producing a catalogue which needed to go to print today. Unable to finish it, we lost the opportunity to have our catalogue released at a national trade show we had intended, costing us a lot in opportunity loss," he said.
Fire officials have promised, according to the Associated Press, that "several homes will be lost," a solemn warning to those who have since evacuated - and a heart breaking revelation for someone who spent the better part of his life between Newhall, Santa Clarita, and San Diego.
Published by Chadd De Las Casas
I was born in Valencia, California in 1987. It's ironic that I turned out to be a writer, since my first exposure to it was an essay about why I hate writing. I am also the owner of the Content Producers Wiki. View profile
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15 Comments
Post a CommentContrast this to Ray Nagin's literal crying, cursing, and whining on the public airwaves, and Kathleen Blanco's political opportunism and blame shifting to the President for State and Local complete failures in the aftermath of Katrina and Rita, the opportunism both politicians showed and their petty partisanship, and Blanco threatening people with death for "looting" basic necessities like food and water which was going to spoil. Blanco's hiring of Blackwater to kill looters on site, then the amazing ability of the "dynamic duo" of incompetence being able to take a willing press and shift the blame to President Bush. The scenarios couldn't be any more contrasted, yet the competence of the Mayor of San Diego, and Arnold win the day.
One of the untold stories about this series of fires is the huge contrast in how local officials responded to the disaster. Qualcomm stadium is abuzz with people giving glowing reviews about the atmosphere, the spirit of helpfulness, etc. The Mayor of San Diego has been calm, reassuring, everything one looks for in a leader, Arnold has been right there on the spot, continually seeking what he can do to help, showing up completely unannounced at shelters, etc.
Erich, try reading the article. It mentions much more than Malibu. The total numbered evacuated refers to so cal, NOT just San Diego. Santa Clarita is in pretty bad shape also, in case you haven't noticed. The fire is an ever changing story from when it first started developing.
Eh I'm not going to give Jason the page view to see what it was he wrote in err about the wildfires. I simply trust my other readers to understand the absolute gravity of the situation.
Malibu? Wow... talk about missing the real story. The Malibu fire is a freakin' candle compared to the Witch Fire in North County San Diego. That's the biggest fire in the history of modern California! Over 300,000 evacuated, hundreds of homes destroyed... Come on AC, let's see the real news highlighted. (I didn't write a San Diego story because I AM one of the evacuees and have limited computer access)
Sounds like Jason isn't in touch with reality. If you really believe what you said in your comments here and in your "article" about the fires, then you are either a sad person who watches too much tv and doesn't have a clue about people in California and who sounds like a jealous cry baby, or you are in to making comments like this for the shock value of it (like the school yard bully who did mean things to get attention because he was bitter towards other). Either way I wouldn't call being upset over something you work so hard for being lost in a fire "whining." I feel sorry for them, but feel equally as sorry for you as a person.
Jason Hutto it's pretty easy to make comments like that to a monitor but I'd like to see you come down here and make those same statements to people who have lost their homes and loved ones to the fire.
Wildfires are very important to the environment. It's because we control them and try to put them out that they're getting worse and more violent. Hate to say it, but in the end, nature always wins.
And as an update, my entire city I used to live in of Escondido, tonight, was given an advisory evacuation to Escondido High School, since there's very little in the way of routes out of the city.
Fire - I remember the incident when our neighboring house suddenly caught fire. Fortunately it does not spread to nearby places. Still I could not forget the day when I saw the mighty fire engulfing everything. Man is nothing before nature.