Back up and working..
Hi ya'll. :-)
Long few days. Site was down due to power, and nothing more really. We
lost a relay station and I'm not really sure how many transformers and
power poles. The fire fighters though, picked their battles with great
effect, and won each of them with little loss to property or life. We
could see the wall of flame, about 3 miles wide and easily 20 feet
tall, ripping down the mountain, and the flashing lights of the
waiting fire trucks at strategic areas. The fire had to go into small
ravines and shallow areas, and then, in less than three hours, it was
out. A "very well done" to those men and women, and I'm very impressed
that we have power now, with as much as we lost in that area.
There were a total of three fronts, one to the north, east and west.
We could see the North and west, but received only various rumors
about the one behind us. While watching the battle to the north and
west, we kept an eye on the sage brush and eucalyptus covered hill
behind us; waiting to see the red glow of flame in the sky above,
which never came. The news didn't help at all. I have to say that I'm
very disappointed in our local news service (radio, TV and newspaper).
It would have been very nice to have a news service whose goal was not
to increase the panic and confusion, but rather to help in times of
need and disaster with clear and accurate information, but apparently
we don't have that in San Diego. 70 % of Santee, where I live, was not
in any real danger, but looking at a 20 ft tall wall of flame coming
down the hills and listening to the news broadcasters shout "FireStorm
2003", while fervently stating that everyone in San Diego was in great
peril, sent most of the people looking for victim shelters and
clogging up freeways, which were closed. Two of us finally jumped in a
car and took off to see the status of the fire to the East, which
turned out to be over 15 miles away and basically under control. We
came back and walked from door to door to give the report, and the
place around here calmed down quite a bit.
Because of the lack of fire fighters, many areas were wisely left to
burn, since no human life or structures in the area was in peril, so
this made for some great camera shots and some rather scary walls of
flame. But I don't believe, after watching the fire dealt with here in
such a clear and decisive manner, that the situation was ever "out of
control" as the broadcast kept telling us. I remember one broadcast,
which went on for several hours, regarding the torrent of flame and
destruction at our county dump, which, as most dumps are, is in the
middle of no where. It's a dump. And the fire crews let it burn, so
the flames got very high and very hot, having a great deal to burn
there. But it was still a dump, and I don't believe the fire crews saw
that as anything but situation to keep an eye on, while the news
broadcasts used this as a sign that everything was out of control.
Very disappointing.
As it stands now, the crews are chasing hot-spots, which is to be
expected. The chaparral and sage brush in this area, have very
flammable, long burning root systems. The fire goes out on top, but
does a slow, low oxygen, burn underground. Periodically the ground
will seep in or it will get a gulp of air from above and you get the
effect that you may have seen in the movie BackDraft. A pop of high
temperature flame, seeming to explode from the ground. This
"explosion" (I only use that word because there isn't really another
to describe it) sets off other root systems near it, and you suddenly
have a burn area again. Since the original burn, which created these
hot-spot areas, is mostly depleted in fuel, they are normally easy to
control again and put out, but you can't ignore them.
So, that is how it stands in my neck of the woods. I heard that there
are still areas which the crews are fighting in the Orange County
areas, and to the South in Mexico, but for now, here, everything is
under control and people are returning to their homes. Power is
restored (I'm still very impressed with that) and I'm sure the air
will clear in the next week or so. The Air by the way, is a problem.
Visibility is about 1/4 mile, and it is chewy. If you have to chew
your air, it is not good to breath. This isn't a professional medical
opinion, but just one from someone who can't seem to keep his teeth
clean. Bicycling is definitely out for a few days.
thanks,
webadept-ga |
