California fires

[Lacey]

It’s horrifying. The numbers just keep getting worse. Fatalities are now at 71 and the missing is now over a thousand at 1011

I wonder if the tragedies that are the three fires are all accounted for, not that I want it to be any worse than this

 

[Vash01]

Just checked the BAAQMD (Bay Area Air Quality Management District) website for air quality. The AQI is in the red and purple, which is very scary. In all my years in air quality in the Phoenix metro area I never saw a Red AQI. Even orange was rare, and we used to be routinely affected by wild fires in Southern California. This is unimaginable.

Sadly even those people in the poor air quality areas are lucky compared to the thousands who lost their homes and lives. I think my relatives in the Bay Area are Ok.

 

[Peaches LaTour]

Stanford vs Cal game for today was cancelled due to the poor air quality.

 

[Vash01]

Checked with my cousin in the Bay Area today. He wrote - the air quality is terrible, the minute you step outside, you smell smoke. On Friday schools were closed due to poor air quality.

 

[skatesindreams]

The list of missing/unaccounted for has grown; searching continues:
https://www.cnn.com/2018/11/18/us/california-fires-week-two/index.html

 

[skatesindreams]

A heartwarming rescue:
https://www.cnn.com/2018/11/17/us/camp-fire-garbageman/index.html

 

[Buzz]

A heartwarming rescue:
https://www.cnn.com/2018/11/17/us/camp-fire-garbageman/index.html

Thanks so much for posting that! Disasters can really bring out the best in people!

 

[Vash01]

A heartwarming rescue:
https://www.cnn.com/2018/11/17/us/camp-fire-garbageman/index.html

Very touching story. It brought tears to my eyes. Thank you for sharing.

 

[missing]

This is a fascinating (and horrifying) article about how the Paradise fire spread so quickly and dangerously throughout the town.

 

[attyfan]

Here's another heartwarming rescue -- of over 20 kids!:

https://www.cnn.com/2018/11/18/us/wildfire-school-bus-rescue/index.html

 

[SkateSand]

This is a fascinating (and horrifying) article about how the Paradise fire spread so quickly and dangerously throughout the town.

I've read a lot on this fire (it's not too far from me, and my stepdaughter lives in Chico), and this is the best article I've read on it.

 

[Lacey]

I think they are now worried that the rains expected this/next? week will mess up with any remains, I can't even think of this. I know these people are probably specialists and so there are not enough (who would have ever expected over 1,000 missing?), but I wish there was a way to speed up the process while at the same time getting a firm count and accurate identifications.

 

[myhoneyhoney]

Rain is supposed to start Wednesday. Not only could it interfere with finding remains, there’s also the threat of mudslides in some areas.

 

[Karen-W]

As expected, the missing list has been trimmed - now 699, with 79 dead from the Camp Fire. The list is likely to go down as more people call in to the hotlines that have been established. Fire is 70% contained and has burned 151,000 acres so far.

https://www.paradisepost.com/2018/11/19/monday-update-camp-fire-containment-up-slightly/

The mudslide danger is very real, especially since the rain forecast for the area is 5 inches. The other concern, beyond interfering with the search for remains, is the toxicity of the debris.

 

[skatesindreams]

What do you choose to take with you, when you have only a few minutes to decide?
https://www.cnn.com/2018/11/19/us/what-california-wildfire-evacueees-took-trnd/index.html

 

[skateboy]

I'm here in the San Francisco Bay Area. Sunday, the air quality went from "very unhealthy" to just "unhealthy." Yesterday was worse than Sunday; today is better. Forecast shows clearing little by little, with a possibility of some rain, probably tonight or tomorrow. Fingers crossed.

It's such a surreal feeling, not being able to escape from breathing toxic air. Of course, staying indoors is best, but it still gets inside with the opening of doors.

 

[skatfan]

Down in San Jose we are at Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups. Yay? And today is the first day in a while that my lungs don't hurt from quick trips outside.

 

[skateycat]

We're going to Sonoma to visit my family for Thanksgiving. We're going to pack Young Skateycat's HEPA air filter machine, as the AQI is a pleasant 30 here, but 65 down in Sonoma.

 

[Vash01]

I talked to my friend in Sausalito. She said the air is horrible. They went to Monterrey for a weekend to escape the bad air. They are back to bad air quality but it is supposed to rain soon.

 

[AxelAnnie]

I talked to my friend in Sausalito. She said the air is horrible. They went to Monterrey for a weekend to escape the bad air. They are back to bad air quality but it is supposed to rain soon.

The air down in Tiburon and Sausalito (where it is clogged up trying to get through the GGB, is really, really horrible. My daughter (Tiburon) left on Saturday and took her kids (and husband) to Tahoe.

I am about 30 miles north of Tiburon, and we can kind of see now. And it doesn't smell as bad, but I can't stay outside for long. My office is in an older building, and I can only stay there for a few hours.

My home is new, and is environmentally whatever (everything is sort of hermetically sealed). Even with that, there is a fine layer of ash and yuk all over everything. It is even inside my car.

It is supposed to rain...........and that will either be good or bad.

Totally minor in the scope of things, but.....My horse (see icon) is at an equestrianne facility in Petaluma. There are over 300 horses on the property divided into 18 different barns/trainers etc. Our vet has not yet cleared the horses for work. They are being hand walked.....which is really fun. ...

 

[Lacey]

Our local (very good) weather woman, Cecily Tynan, on the local ABC late evening news last night here in Pennsylvania (US east coast) said that the ashes would color our skies grey, they were coming all the way across the US in the jet stream, and right she was. It didn't affect our breathing, but the skies were very depressingly dark all day.

 

[TheGirlCanSkate]

I am in the valley for the holidays and my chest hurts. We went to the mountains for the day and I felt so good. Now I'm back down and it feels like terrible. i would not be here if it weren't for family. :/ The sun is blocked by haze, it looks perpetually twilight and foggy and it is just the bad air. my niece said being here is like smoking 15 packs of cigarettes a day. I may leave a day early.

 

[myhoneyhoney]

The coming rain is supposed to clear out the air. Still, I drove the San Mateo Bridge tonight and you couldn’t see the water either side because of the haze. It was very eerie.

 

[skatfan]

Thanksgiving update: I’m visiting family in Santa Rosa, rained a lot yesterday and today the air is crystal clear. Went for a walk around Spring lake and it was delightful.

Swept my cousin’s outdoor entry and there was a fine layer of dust over it all.

 

[AxelAnnie]

Thanksgiving update: I’m visiting family in Santa Rosa, rained a lot yesterday and today the air is crystal clear. Went for a walk around Spring lake and it was delightful.

Swept my cousin’s outdoor entry and there was a fine layer of dust over it all.

Waving to you from Petaluma

 

[skateycat]

Greetings from Sonoma!

Waving to you from Petaluma

 

[AxelAnnie]

Gorgeous morning....Sonoma and Santa Rosa. My horse got to go for a walk and eat some grass.............heaven. Looks like it is going to start raining again soon. Praying for moderation in all things watery.

 

[skatfan]

Waving to you from Petaluma

waving back!

 

[TheGirlCanSkate]

The rain was odd, at first it was like milk, my car looked so strange covered with white grey liquid.

Finally, yesterday in the late afternoon, we had a lot more rain and everything looked clear today. Even though it was cool out, we spent it outdoors.

Tomorrow is scheduled to be a full day of rain. I hope it is helpful,but I'm worried about people who lost everything and have no where to go.

 

[skatesindreams]

Thanksgiving in the fire zone:
https://www.cnn.com/2018/11/23/us/gallery/wildfire-survivors-thanksgiving-trnd/index.html

As the Camp Fire is contained; three more bodies are found:
https://www.cnn.com/2018/11/25/us/california-fires/index.html