New Fires in Sylmar

Not only is fire season NOT over, it is raging down here in Southern California!

I stepped out onto my mother’s balcony this morning in Redondo Beach, and saw smoke on the horizon, and significant smoke to the north. Mom was oblivious. I said, “Wow, the Tea Fire must have exploded last night. I need to get on line to check on it.” When I did, I found the Sylmar Fires.

Now, at 10 AM, the winds are howling down here in Orange County. My Jeep was acting strangely, hard to control, I kept thinking it was probably the wind, but to make sure I didn’t have a problem with my tires, I got off. I needed gas anyway. It was just the wind. But it gave me the opportunity to get online, and check the status of the various fire. It appears many freeways, including the 5 artery, are closed due to fires. What a mess!

And this report from firefox to remind us that even in Big Sur, the danger is far from over!!

We had our own scares here in Big Sur last night and this afternoon.  Around 2am on 11/14 there was a page for flames and smoke just west of Nepenthe in the Coastlands.  Probably one of the worst areas for potential structure loss on the whole coast. It turned out to be branches waving in front of some orange lights at Nepenthe. But it only underscores the serious and immediate need for residents to clean up, clear out, and be ready for fire.  At 2am it was 66 degrees according to the gauge in my truck. USFS and BSFB took it serious and paged several engines to respond. 
Around 5pm another incident: a motorcycle overheated and was pulled into the thick grass at the base of the Hermitage driveway. The grass and bike caught fire. Fortunately, one monk had mistaken the dust from a rockslide in Limekiln SP for smoke and called 911. On their way to investigate, USFS and BSFB discovered the real fire.
It’s hot, dry and windy: be FIRESAFE, recognize the potential and be extra careful with anything hot.