Fierce Winds and Wildfires
4:51 PM Posted In Corona , Corona Fire , Los Angeles , Montecito , Orange County , Santa Ana winds , Santa Barbara , Sayre Fire , smoke , SoCal , Sylmar , Tea Fire , thick ash , wildfire , Yorba Linda Edit This 2 Comments »
Stepping outside of a friend's house where we were having a house party for a quick stog, J was quick to notice a small lighted area on a hill a short distance away. From afar, it looked like a patch of light cast by the setting sun hiding behind the hills. But it was several minutes after 10pm.
Photos from the Associated Press (AP)
We soon realized it was a fire burning in the Sylmar area here good ol' LA. Little did we know at that time that this fire would be "the most devastating to hit Los Angeles in nearly half a century" (AFP, 2008). With the Santa Ana winds blowing fiercely, we watched as the Sayre/Sylmar Fire triple its size within an hour.
Photos from the Associated Press (AP)
The Sayre Fire, which reportedly already destroyed 500 mobile homes, is second in the series of wildfires to wreck havoc in SoCal since Thursday. The first one was the Tea Fire in Montecito in Santa Barbara County. It started on Thursday and has already destroyed more than 100 homes. A third fire broke out today in Corona and Yorba Linda in Orange County and has destroyed at least 10 homes. (Check out the SoCal Fire Locations on the map.)
Considering the extent of the damage these three fires are causing to several thousands of acres of land and the huge number of people who lost their homes and possessions, it doesn't seem right for me to complain about the thick ash that has descended upon us living in the west of the Valley. But as I walked out of my apartment at 8:30 in the morning today (still hungover from the night before), thick ash and smoke hit me full blast in the face and I could hardly breathe. It's 7:45 pm now and the air is as cloudy as ever.
Downtown LA Skyline, Photo from the Associated Press
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