Set the World on Fire

Ok, don't actually, but I wanted to start with something inspirational for such a sad topic.  Yesterday I was getting ready to head to the airport again, so I went to the barn, stopped and took this picture at the top of the hill

This was to the NW of us, the Camp Pendleton fire.  I went to the hay barn and fixed up all the bags for the horses feed for the week, and walked down towards the barn and one of the guys said did you see the fire, my reaction was kinda like duh, then he pointed up above my head (not the direction of the Pendleton fire), and immediately my reaction was "oh shit"

This is what it looked like when it first started, and apparently how it had grown in the time it took me to prepare the feed.  A few people we already hooking up hoses all around the barn and I went over to the manager to see what was going to happen.  The barn is surrounded by citrus groves, all nice and green, equipped with full sprinkler systems that would be a strong first line of defense.  However, if there were to be an issue on the premises, the barn was developed as an evacuation center originally, so there are hydrants all around the property and sprinklers as well.  With this in mind my first concern were my horses living at the house, because they had little protection and in case of full evacuation I wanted all the horses in one area, so we decided to bring them to the barn.  In the amount of time that took the fire progressed to this

People were hitching up trailers and the sky was already full of smoke 

Went to the house and had to back the trailer in cuz it's kinda in a weird place off of Lilac Rd, and it was done quickly and efficiently but people were honking like crazy at us, which I later figured was because they were evacuating the middle school which was between my house and the barn, so there were probably panicking parents.

Turned around and took this shot as we were leading the horses to the trailer.

When we got back to the barn

We all went to the north side of the farm to watch the fire...

If you look close you can see just to the left of the little round tree is the Carlsbad fire, the one in the middle is Pendleton and the right is the Highway.

This photo is from the stalls you can see in the first picture, my back to the fire, this is the Del Mar fire.

We watched as the Pendleton fire grew, and as the San Marcos fire developed....

This was taken the same direction as the one of the Del Mar fire, just more to the left of where my truck is in the other picture.

 Fire tornado, scary but cool

 The Cal Fire planes were circling right over the ranch

 Another fire tornado

 Trailers just started pouring in for evacuation

They closed highway 395, the 15, the 76 and then the sheriffs came to issue the official evacuation notice for all residents on Lilac Rd, which is me and my barn, they barricaded the road and wouldn't let people enter or return.

I was in Colorado during many of the fire seasons, and knew people near those, but I have never experienced it myself, and especially not so closely that I can see flames from my barn and get evacuated from my home.  I did pack up with important and irreplaceable belongings, but even with my animals and myself in safety, it doesn't make any of it any less stressful.  Knowing that friends or neighbors could be losing everything, and there was a real chance I could too, well I can just say I don't wish that on anyone.

There was an outpouring of support from the surrounding community, friends on facebook were offering help with evacuations and places to stay, the news channel posted this, see the 5,540 shares?! Must explain why there was a caravan of trailers showing up!

 I heard from several sources that the fires may have been started by an arsonist, that each of them were about 30 minutes apart in a car.  Yes, maybe it sounds like a conspiracy but it kinda makes sense, because I was thinking how strange it was the way they were positioned and that areas like Temecula and Valley Center, much hotter, drier and had winds of 50+ mph that day hadn't had any problems.  In any case, a part of me would be a little relieved if they were set on purpose (yes, I know it's horrible and devastating, don't get me wrong!) but makes it a little less worrisome that so many wildfires could pop up so quickly in the area when it's not even fire season yet.

A little after 8pm the news reported the fire was around 600 acres and 5% contained. Everything turned out ok for myself and others I know in the area, but I think I will be preparing some precautionary measures now.  Don't like to think about it but things could have gone a lot differently and I want to be more prepared if there ever is a next time.

So I got my flight rescheduled, the guy at United was very nice when he heard why I'd missed my flight and rebooked me immediately.  I think the area is safe now and I feel comfortable leaving.  Only problem now is I have a layover...in LA...for four hours! Ridiculous, I know, guess I need to take a book with me or something.

Here's hoping my next post brings better news!