San Diego fire

Yes, we're still here. We are packed and ready to evacuate but the number of safe havens is shrinking as the size of the fires continues to grow.

Rather than address a host of questions individually I'll try to give you a snapshot of the Big Picture.

The key is the wind velocity. Measured at over 60mph here in San Diego county, it topped 100mph farther north.

The second critical factor combines temperature and relative humidity. It has been over 80F (and getting warmer) and the humidity has been in single digits, as low as 4%. Under those conditions it is fair to assume that the fire has an UNLIMITED supply of fuel. When pushed by even a moderate breeze it makes it extremely difficult to apply traditional fire-fighting techniques, especially if your resources are limited, as are ours.

Now INCREASE that breeze to gale-force; a wind so strong that it grounds everything but a wide-body. Now the fire is advancing so rapidly so rapidly that even with all the resources in the world it becomes IMPOSSIBLE to get in front of it and create a fire-break it can't jump - - the flames are 100 feet high and the skipped across a ten-lane freeway (I-15) as easily as a child playing hop-scotch.

As the velocity of the wind increased it became increasingly erratic, partly because of the hilly terrain cut by canyons, but also because of the fire itself, creating thermal updrafts of sufficient velocity to deflect the wind in a manner impossible to predict.

Then there is the fact that 'wind' is NOT transparent. It is an opaque mass of smoke containing a witches brew of embers and chemical irritants.

Without aerial assets it was impossible to determine the exact location and path of the fire-front, let alone stage any effort to suppress it using water or fire retardant.

Four years ago San Diego county was unlucky enough to suffer the effects of two such fires (code named CEDAR and PARADISE), which burned about 400,000 acres and resulted in 17 deaths. This time the authorities didn't wait to declare mandatory evacuations. Doing so put hundreds of thousands of people on the roads which created a whole new set of problems but it was the right decision. The fires continue to spread and there can be no effective containment until the wind abates.

Your messages are warmly appreciated, as are the offers of assistance. For the time being we are safe if a bit crowded, the kids (and grandkids) sheltering here since evacuating their home in Rancho Bernardo. If it burns, so be it - - we won't be here to see it go up. And I know how to build houses as well as airplanes :-)

-Bob Hoover

Reply to
Veeduber
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I hope you will be allright and the fires will be suppressed soon.

All the best. Jørn.

Reply to
Berg

Be safe

build again if needs be.

Our thoughts are with you from the UK

Rich

Reply to
Tricky

I have a spare room to offer by a lake w/ pool here in Florida, with plenty of humidity and nice 90 degree weather. LOL.

Jan

Reply to
Jan

That's hard to imagine for someone who has never witnessed it. Have they taken any precautions to reduce that kind of risk in planning roads, like keeping vegetation to a bare minimum alongside major highways and such? I've never been that far south in CA and my visit to the bay area was.. umm.. just about 10 years ago or was it 12 :)

Jan

Reply to
Jan

I wish the best of luck to Bob and all those out there. Dennis

Reply to
Dennis

Houses can be rebuilt. Stay safe, Bob.

Reply to
Remco

Bob,

You are in our prayers, along with everyone else in Southern CA. I can't even begin to imagine how it would feel to lose my house, as so many already have.

I truly hope this fire is put out soon.

Chris

Reply to
halatos

May the winds stop and the rains come to save the day! I have friends that are in the area and I hope that they are safe too!

And I thought the Great Chicago Fire was bad!

later, dave (One out of many daves)

Reply to
dave AKA vwdoc1

I live in the LA basin area, not real close to the fires, but we still get smoke and ash from most of all the fires. Last night the moon was a yellow-orange color from all of the smoke in the air. I went to leave for work this morning and noticed a lot of ash all over the cars. I feel bad for those that lost their houses, but I am grateful there hasn't been huge lose of life from the fires.

In case anyone doesn't know where the basin is located.

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Reply to
Eddie

Bob, I wish you and your family best of luck, be safe.

Houses, shops, planes and busses can be restored, but we don't have to tell you that...

Greetings from the Netherlands,

Gerrelt.

Reply to
beetle_boy

Having gone though the Cedar/Paradise fires of 2003 and seeing flames crowning 50-60- feet overhead, with frightening speed from the Santa Ana winds, and my home less than 1/4 mile away, I know what all of you are feeling, and I will be praying for you. So far, I have been lucky; no one I know has had their house incinerated by the fires, and no one has lost any cherished pets ( except for 2 M.I.A. turtles) My sister and brother in law have some burned facia boards on the house, and some bubbled- up paint, and another friend had the fire come up to within ONE FOOT of his front door, where it appears firefighters made a stand, and a concerted effort, to save the house, and thankfully, they did. My heartfelt condolences to anyone who has suffered a loss from these fires.

Reply to
kaferdave

Hey Bob

How did you all come through it all ?

hope you and yours are all ok !

Rich

Reply to
Tricky

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