Wildfires
The air is thick with smoke and ash. My mother had told me about the fires yesterday, but fires aren't that rare, and I didn't think much of it. A few hours later, I left my house and the air was dirty and sooty. Aaron and I drove to Escondido for dinner and Rancho Bernardo was so awful: thick, dirty, it looked like dense brown fog. This morning, the sky was darker and I learned that my cousins up in Carmel Valley (near the coast!) where being evacuated. We are still at work, although I must admit that the atmosphere here is one of nervous radio-listening. Some of my co-workers have been evacuated. The air inside the building is getting worse and I just had a three minute sneezing fit. I don't so much fear for myself and my parents because we are located in a central area not covered by eucalyptus. I fear for my friends and co-workers and neighbors! There are already 5,000 10,000 evacuees at Qualcomm Stadium. I wasn't here during the 2003 Cedar Fire, I was in Berkeley, and I remember the nervous anxiety that accompanies this waiting: where is the wind going to blow next? Who are they going to evacuate next? Can I help? Can I put anyone up in my house?
NPR/KPBS is on our radios and we are listening intently. Aaron's parents are in Santa Clarita (north of LA) and have been experiencing this for a few days longer than we have.
We're not on the map, obviously, being in San Diego. Fires are closing in from the North East (Ramona, Rancho Bernardo, Escondido) and from the south (Chula Vista, Tecate).
NPR/KPBS is on our radios and we are listening intently. Aaron's parents are in Santa Clarita (north of LA) and have been experiencing this for a few days longer than we have.
We're not on the map, obviously, being in San Diego. Fires are closing in from the North East (Ramona, Rancho Bernardo, Escondido) and from the south (Chula Vista, Tecate).