As UCD says, yeah, family was freaking out. My former co-worker was hanging in her backyard Sunday evening til almost 11pm. When the wind really whipped up, they went inside because they have a massive tree in their backyard and were worried, at that point, about branches falling down. Fire was of little concern - they could see some smaller fires in the hillside a few miles away. Less than 3 hours later, they were told to leave immediately and the fire was on their neighborhood's doorstep. Another 5-6 hours later, they had confirmation their house was down to the foundation. Other good friends have been evacuated in this process as well (some went all the way to Sacramento to stay, which might actually be worse than losing one's house). Needless to say, knowing where my parents were and how quickly the fire was moving, I was a wreck since the phones were going straight to VM and I was hearing reports of folks trapped on the 101 having to abandon their cars and being lifted out by helicopter. As dad says, they were oblivious to it all, and I fully knew this. So that freaked me the fuck out. I've been told my worries were unfounded, but those of you that have met UCD knows he needs my guidance in navigating this world. I admit was I so stressed I was near tears. Even once they finally had the ability to communicate again (several hours after last communication), I was freaked until they showed up in my driveway two days later for a brief hello. Glad the folks are okay. But they clearly don't give a rip about my concerns for their well-being.
Glad they are fine. Its worse to be in your situation. I know exactly what I'm up against, and it is crazy but I have full control of what I do and how I handle these fires. My fiancee is still in Walla Walla and she has to deal with my phone going out and not being able to contact me for hours at a time while reading tales of death and destruction. I feel bad for her. I've put a few things in place to make sure she doesn't freak out, like sending her itineraries of exactly where I will be so she can follow the news reports and alerts and understand that i'm fine. I also had her text my zip code to 888777 so that she is updated with every new report the Sonoma County Sheriffs office puts out about these fires.
I was in Berkeley yesterday and air was awful, a lot of people wearing masks. Oddly, it's OK where I live but I work in South Hayward & it's getting worse. Hell of a headache from driving here. I can't even imagine what it's like closer.
Your smoke is settling here. Hazy as shit. Don't worry, we've got it covered. Wind tomorrow should get rid of it.
Wow, what a story. http://www.latimes.com/local/abcari...fire-20171012-htmlstory.html#nws=mcnewsletter
We just kept driving through the thick smoke towards the sound of BG’s voice and were saved..........hallelujah!!
Well, I thought everything was improving but there was just a mandatory evacuation for gyserville, 7 miles from me. Guess I'm not out of the woods yet.
There was another story similar to this, but the wife died in her husband's arms. Obviously, your story is far more positive.
my housemate is upstairs getting blazed on herb to control her anxiety. i would freak the fuck out not being mostly sober right now. of course, i say that with a glass of wine in my hand. I'm such a fucking hypocrite.
Several stories have done the same for me. The dude, wealthy as he is, that had a massive house and land, and chose to save his wildlife safari over his house, still makes me choked up as I type this. He did what he really should have done, but how many folks wouldn't have? He owned his responsibility to rare animals he had.
Peanuts creator Charles Schulz’s widow flees Santa Rosa fire, home destroyed SANTA ROSA — The widow of the late Charles Schulz, creator of the iconic Peanuts comic strip, escaped the fire racing through Santa Rosa this week, but the hillside home the couple shared since the mid-1970s was destroyed, according to family members. http://www.mercurynews.com/2017/10/...s-widow-flees-santa-rosa-fire-home-destroyed/