Well, Good afternoon, All! I have been up about an hour now...last night was a loooong night.
Right at10:30, we got a call from my Mother In Law, who lives in upper Sylmar, that there was a big fire starting near her. She had gone outside to see the burning hills and talk with neighbors. Somehow she tripped and hit her head on a curb, we now know she broke a bone in her face over her eye.
So she was very groggy and home alone, she asked us to come help. She had a concussion bad, needed a ride to the hospital, but also need to get valuables etc out o the house because the fires were close. Wife and I jumped in the car around 10:30 or so and raced up to Sylmar. Freeway off ramps were closed, but being locals we knew where to get off a few off ramps away and back track throught the side streets. Streets were crazy busy with people evacuating, we were about the only ones driving towards the fire for sure. Got to the MIlLs house, MIL looked bad and was hurt bad for sure. She wanted the valuables out of the house, she was trying to make a pile...good new her son who lives there showed up a couple minutes later. My wife took her mom to the hospital, BIL and I started packing up some items and wetting down the roof and yard while we still had water pressure. Winds were howling, smoke so thick you could not see 50', ash and chunks of dirt and burnt wood flying in the air. There were other neighbors out doing the same thing, loading cars and wetting roofs. Many homes were dark andsilent as the owners had left already. We kept up a constant patrol every few minutes all night, watching the street and local houses for embers / spot fires. Lots of sirens, roof-top height helicopters, loud speakers broadcasting for all to evacuate, of course, we stayed. There was a huge explosion we saw and heard around midnight a couple blocks away, must have been a power transformer because then there was a huge flash of electric light, and the streets around us went dark.
Fire got as close as two blocks, but we were all OK on our street there. I had some breathing filters and safety glasses (FAIL: use motorcycle goggles!) that we used when outside, we were covered in black ash and soot...in eyes, ears, hair, clothes, everywhere.
MIL is at hospital for surgery today, I drove back home to here at 6:00AM and got a few hours of sleep. We a were very lucky, some were not, it sure was a tough long night.
And the Yorba Linda fire is right near my day job, so still excitement ahead.
ASR is definitly going to be closed this weeked, the Osborne offramp and Foothill Blvd are closed now.
I'm whipped, tired, coughing up dirt and soot.
Fortunately, no zombies!
