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Napa & Sonoma CA Wildfires

Tricia

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The severity of this fire is on day 2, having blow up with 68 mph winds on Sunday night, going into Monday morning.
We have several members whose homes are affected by this horrible fire.
22282117_1914263881947563_1907251662710774800_n.jpg

As I type this, the news is saying that they are calling the winds Diablo Winds, there are 11 confirmed dead, multiple wineries have burned, close to 2000 structures burned (probably more now)
WE have a friend with a home in Santa Rosa, and a bowling alley in Rohnert Park, which is where they've gone to stay until they find out what's happened to their home.
@skibob @JayT both have evacuated their homes.

This is an LA Times photo of a before and after of a neighborhood

22310592_10155915605348010_7689714243004377981_n.jpg

22308906_10155915605353010_5910361606535487514_n.jpg
 

Philpug

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Those before and after photos are mind blowing. Hell, therye are cars that are in the exact same spots in driveways.
 
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TS
Tricia

Tricia

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I was talking to @SkiNurse who has a friend who's been directly impacted.
 

Lorenzzo

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I lived in Laguna during the Laguna fires and San Diego during the firestorm in North County. There are fires and then there are fires combined with strong, dry, high pressure winds. You just can't wrap your mind around the latter although the before and after photos above give a sense.

There's golf course in Poway almost devoid of shrubs and brush but there were wooden bridges crossing creeks far from flames during the SD fire. They all burned though nothing else on the course did. Burning embers can ride the winds for miles.

It's been said with certain Santa Ana winds and points of fire origin much of LA is at risk. Strength and luck to those affected.
 

skibob

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As I wrote on the Tahoe thread, we ran like hell at 2am after waking up some neighbors and throwing some clothes in the car. How in the world did I forget underwear? Thank go for Costco . . .

I heard from a source that as of very early this morning our street was still standing. Our house is actually right on the edge of the approach path. All of the destruction you see in the Fountaingrove area, the fire blew by us about 1/4 mile to the north before getting there. We were unimaginably lucky as this approached.

Then, as back burns headed back and down toward our neighborhood the sun came up and reinforcements started arriving, including aerial. They made a stand on the hillside and our home is literally at about the farthest north that made it through (there is one more street to the north that is untouched).

The truly disturbing part is now understanding the timeline and trajectory of this thing. I went to bed Sunday evening around 10:40. Had the back door open. No smell of smoke. No color, no noise, no nothing. The Tubbs fire had started in the hills north of Calistoga just 20-30 minutes earlier. That is a 40 minute drive from my house. At 1:40am we woke up to a neighbor calling. I went outside and everything was orange and there was a massive plume of smoke. This was the Fountaingrove area to our west already burning. In 3 hours the fire had already come over the mountains, raced down and across Riebli Valley, just blocks north of us, and had already passed us, without us even waking up.

We started trying to call a friend who lives a block to our north. They had their phones turned off! I raced to their house and began banging and ringing the doorbell. They were so out of it, it took a good 5 minutes. I would have concluded that they were gone if the car in the drive hadn't been blocking the garage (ie, I knew both cars were there). That, and I knew the car in the drive is the one they would have taken (bigger, newer).

I can't fathom what its going to look like when we return. We have several friends who have lost everything. I can't imagine how everybody is going to find a place to live while rebuilding in what was already a very, very tight housing market.
 

luliski

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As I wrote on the Tahoe thread, we ran like hell at 2am after waking up some neighbors and throwing some clothes in the car. How in the world did I forget underwear? Thank go for Costco . . .

I heard from a source that as of very early this morning our street was still standing. Our house is actually right on the edge of the approach path. All of the destruction you see in the Fountaingrove area, the fire blew by us about 1/4 mile to the north before getting there. We were unimaginably lucky as this approached.

Then, as back burns headed back and down toward our neighborhood the sun came up and reinforcements started arriving, including aerial. They made a stand on the hillside and our home is literally at about the farthest north that made it through (there is one more street to the north that is untouched).

The truly disturbing part is now understanding the timeline and trajectory of this thing. I went to bed Sunday evening around 10:40. Had the back door open. No smell of smoke. No color, no noise, no nothing. The Tubbs fire had started in the hills north of Calistoga just 20-30 minutes earlier. That is a 40 minute drive from my house. At 1:40am we woke up to a neighbor calling. I went outside and everything was orange and there was a massive plume of smoke. This was the Fountaingrove area to our west already burning. In 3 hours the fire had already come over the mountains, raced down and across Riebli Valley, just blocks north of us, and had already passed us, without us even waking up.

We started trying to call a friend who lives a block to our north. They had their phones turned off! I raced to their house and began banging and ringing the doorbell. They were so out of it, it took a good 5 minutes. I would have concluded that they were gone if the car in the drive hadn't been blocking the garage (ie, I knew both cars were there). That, and I knew the car in the drive is the one they would have taken (bigger, newer).

I can't fathom what its going to look like when we return. We have several friends who have lost everything. I can't imagine how everybody is going to find a place to live while rebuilding in what was already a very, very tight housing market.
It's going to be rough. I haven't read any news yet this morning, but I'm hoping that, now that the winds have died down, the fires are being contained.
I can't imagine waking up to orange skies and having to flee like that. Just finding a safe escape route is tricky. I remember stories from the Oakland hills fire about people being trapped while trying to escape the fire. Glad you made it out.
 

SkiNurse

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I was talking to @SkiNurse who has a friend who's been directly impacted.
She lost her aunt & uncle who were the elderly couple that reported killed by the fire. He was 100yo & she was 98yo. Her aunt was her dad's last living sibling. :(
 

skibob

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It's going to be rough. I haven't read any news yet this morning, but I'm hoping that, now that the winds have died down, the fires are being contained.
I can't imagine waking up to orange skies and having to flee like that. Just finding a safe escape route is tricky. I remember stories from the Oakland hills fire about people being trapped while trying to escape the fire. Glad you made it out.
Thanks. As we headed out, we jumped on google maps and the main routes out of town were all red. I took a convoluted way to the highway and encountered little traffic and was fine at that point. Headed to my cousin's house in San Jose. Couldn't wake him up so had to chill at a Starbucks until he woke up and saw a zillion missed calls. It gave us a chance to clean the vomit out of the back of my car. We woke my son and carried him to the car. When we rounded a corner and could see the entire mountain top ablaze it was too much for him . . .

Our area seems to have been completely contained. But Annadel State Park is blazing and they are trying to keep it in the park because there are residential areas on both sides. Winds supposed to pick up again later today. If you are a mountain biker, you'll recognize the name Annadel . . . considered one of the top 10 mtb rides on the west coast.
 

skibob

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She lost her aunt & uncle who were the elderly couple that reported killed by the fire. He was 100yo & she was 98yo. Her aunt was her dad's last living sibling. :(
That is so sad. With the way this thing moved, I kind of fear we will hear about a few more who didn't make it out. Honestly, if the path of the fire had been 1/2 mile farther south . . . I just don't want to think about it.
 

Philpug

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She lost her aunt & uncle who were the elderly couple that reported killed by the fire. He was 100yo & she was 98yo. Her aunt was her dad's last living sibling. :(
We saw the story about them on the news, he had an unusual nickname that started with a "P".
 

SkiNurse

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As I wrote on the Tahoe thread, we ran like hell at 2am after waking up some neighbors and throwing some clothes in the car. How in the world did I forget underwear? Thank go for Costco . . .

I heard from a source that as of very early this morning our street was still standing. Our house is actually right on the edge of the approach path. All of the destruction you see in the Fountaingrove area, the fire blew by us about 1/4 mile to the north before getting there. We were unimaginably lucky as this approached.

Then, as back burns headed back and down toward our neighborhood the sun came up and reinforcements started arriving, including aerial. They made a stand on the hillside and our home is literally at about the farthest north that made it through (there is one more street to the north that is untouched).

The truly disturbing part is now understanding the timeline and trajectory of this thing. I went to bed Sunday evening around 10:40. Had the back door open. No smell of smoke. No color, no noise, no nothing. The Tubbs fire had started in the hills north of Calistoga just 20-30 minutes earlier. That is a 40 minute drive from my house. At 1:40am we woke up to a neighbor calling. I went outside and everything was orange and there was a massive plume of smoke. This was the Fountaingrove area to our west already burning. In 3 hours the fire had already come over the mountains, raced down and across Riebli Valley, just blocks north of us, and had already passed us, without us even waking up.

We started trying to call a friend who lives a block to our north. They had their phones turned off! I raced to their house and began banging and ringing the doorbell. They were so out of it, it took a good 5 minutes. I would have concluded that they were gone if the car in the drive hadn't been blocking the garage (ie, I knew both cars were there). That, and I knew the car in the drive is the one they would have taken (bigger, newer).

I can't fathom what its going to look like when we return. We have several friends who have lost everything. I can't imagine how everybody is going to find a place to live while rebuilding in what was already a very, very tight housing market.
How terrifying! I am glad you were able to get you & your family out quickly!

The fire danger where I live was "extreme" from last February until June due to very little snow and a dry spring. My car was packed with necessities and I had brought important papers, portable external hard drives & photo albums to my parent's house. I could be out of my house within 5 minutes if needed. I finally brought everything back home beginning of July. I am lucky that I do have family & friends that I can move belongings to and lie if needed. Not everyone in my area does.

Right now with the snow, we received yesterday, the danger is low (per Smoky the Bear). But, by this weekend, the temps will be in the 60s-70s again with a lot of wind. That will dry everything out quickly and can change the level back to high within hours. With the pine trees and terrain, fire can travel quickly. 10 miles might as well be next door.

Natural reasons for fire can't be helped ie lightning strikes. But it's the idiots that still throw their cigarette butts out of cars at any time or the people that insist on having a campfire (or any open flame) during fire restrictions.

This is my home and I wish people would respect it.
 

SkiNurse

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skibob

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My wife just showed me this map. It illustrates what I have been trying to describe with words. Our house is on Heimbucher Way. Those circles represent multiple times the fire burned into that area.

Map of SR Fire Boundary.png
 

luliski

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Thanks. As we headed out, we jumped on google maps and the main routes out of town were all red. I took a convoluted way to the highway and encountered little traffic and was fine at that point. Headed to my cousin's house in San Jose. Couldn't wake him up so had to chill at a Starbucks until he woke up and saw a zillion missed calls. It gave us a chance to clean the vomit out of the back of my car. We woke my son and carried him to the car. When we rounded a corner and could see the entire mountain top ablaze it was too much for him . . .

Our area seems to have been completely contained. But Annadel State Park is blazing and they are trying to keep it in the park because there are residential areas on both sides. Winds supposed to pick up again later today. If you are a mountain biker, you'll recognize the name Annadel . . . considered one of the top 10 mtb rides on the west coast.
Your poor son! I know Annadel well, have ridden there a few times since I got my mountain bike. I was wondering if that was burning. All that dry brush...:(
 

SkiNurse

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@SkiNurse did you see the pictures of patients being evacuated from the hospital with flames roaring all around?
I did! That would be a nightmare. Those type of evacuations happen in fires and hurricanes. I can't imagine having to do that. There would be very little reason to evacuate a Denver hospital in that matter, thankfully.
 

SBrown

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Those before and after photos are mind blowing. Hell, therye are cars that are in the exact same spots in driveways.

And some of the trees are still there ... :huh: weird.
 

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