SubBass49: weemonkey:
I believe that RSD should be pretty safe now. I'm over the hill from it in the Mt. Helix/El Cajon area.

You on the south side of Helix? I'm just to the north of Helix...Chase & Sunshine Ave. My brother is down off Brabham (RSD).

I'm up the street from there! Hi neighbor! Wow, I did not know any other Farkers that close to me.

Doppleganger871: Me me me me, always about me. Whah, my house is on fire. Whah, I had to evacuate. Whah, I love beautiful California, so I moved there to be with all the liberals.

Don't like fire? Don't move to Cali.
Don't like floods? Keep out of the lowland marsh areas.
Don't like hurricanes? Avoid the east and southern coasts.
Don't like tornadoes? Buy a house, not a trailer.

I'm sure there are plenty of other countries that don't have fires. SierraClubistan sounds nice.

San Diego is not 'liberal' nor is the Inland Empire. This is the myth of California. Half the state is redneck or greedy. California is more racist then Georgia. I'm an independent and lived in both. F... Sacramento.

/I shouldn't feed trolls.

What they clearly need there is Defender 5 and Bulldog 3.

/Katrina scanner farkers know who I mean.

Downtown Dave: PhilMP: Downtown Dave: jprince79: anyone know the status on Santiago Fire?

Hot

PhilMP: Living in shiatty flyover state + jealousy = SoCal Thread Troll

A bunch of volunteers from this "jealous flyover state" left this morning to help your prestigious trendy state out.

Your state is on fire and it is going to burn all the way to the ocean. LOL, how can you call anyplace else "shiatty"?

And I applaud the volunteers and first responders, may they do their jobs and come home safe and sound.

Fires burn out, and people rebuild. California will return to the condition it was before the fires.

Uh, wasn't this the same thinking that built the houses that are burning now? This is what the rest of us don't get. WHY do you keep building houses that you know are going to burn?

Your state, however, will remain a shiatty flyover state. Sorry, that's just the way it works. Don't wish death and destruction on others just because you live in a place where the only hangout spot is a Wal-Mart.

That would be a shiatty riot-free, non-earthquaking, relativelty free of diseased Mexicans not burning to fine ash state.

I don't wish death and destruction on anyone. There are people I love in San Bernardino and San Diego. I am listening to a scanner and XM 247 Emergency Alert, watching video and reading this stuff. I have a stake in this

However there is nothing wrong with a little humor. What we say here is not making the situation worse or better. It is therapeutic to laugh at tragedy. That's why firemen and cops have such a refined sense of gallows humor.

So lighten the fark up, huh?

You do realize that the vast majority of the houses burning have stood for years with no problems. Wildfires don't come through every part of Southern California every year. It's kind of like the tornadoes and snowstorms that plow through Missouri every so often.

And there's a time and place for humor. You want to snark on my home and wish that my entire family and a number of my friends lose their homes and lives, do it somewhere else. People here are trying to get information about people they love too.

So why don't you take your 'gallows humor' and shove it up your ass, okay farkhead? Take it to the other 90% of threads that have lolcats or stories of old people driving through farmers' markets.

weemonkey:
I'm up the street from there! Hi neighbor! Wow, I did not know any other Farkers that close to me.

Haha...awesome.

What street you on?

graceee that story on the Fontana fire is old, I saw that one Sunday-it got put out...the screwy part is the Devore Fire was heading westbound into Lytle Creek, but as of 2 hours ago the smoke turned white & you can finally see Baldy now...I thought 2003 was a "40-Year Fire"

karatekitten13 take our Governor's advice & get your ass to Mars-or Murrieta Also, it seems a lot of my friends who are Calif Natives have asthma-nothing to be trifled with

A family friend's house is between two of those addy's on JulieAzel626'sList. They made it thru with only fire damage to their garage but everybody else's homes around them is gone, they're exhausted-everybody is. These weren't manses in the woods like Malibu; this is a tract home in a well-spaced subdivision, this thing is completely unthinkable.

Complaining about the trolls on FARK is like being shocked you gotta hit the toilet after Mexican food, that said jayday you need to get over to FARK Sports stat, there's a NASCAR thread unaware that they're dumb hillbillies who go in a left-turning circle all day-then you get to hurt Jimmie Johnson's feelings twice in 2 threads As for me, My lungs hurt & I got a headache

raptusregaliter: KIA: Serious question, not a troll: I'm seeing a lot of photos of destroyed houses which have apparently full swimming pools behind them... Why aren't owners getting pumps or redirecting the existing swimming pool pumps and wetting the place down before the fires get there? It's at least a chance, and it's not putting any more strain on the public water supply than already exists...

It has nothing to do with anyone using or not using. The fire was/is moving so fast that there's just no time to implement anything like that.

Engine companies, if they have time, set up siphons to their pumps or even Mark VIIs when they come across a pool. An instant water supply is a godsend. However, with the rapid rate of spread these last couple of days, not only will an engine co. not use the pool, they haven't been able to get in there do do any defense.

Okay, I understand that official firefighting equipment and manpower is absolutely overwhelmed, but couldn't homeowners use their existing pumps to absolutely drench their property? Some of those pool pumps can really move water. As for the other poster who said it gets in through the roof and eaves - rip off the gutters, drench the roof and let some of the water run down the sides. Then no fire gets in anywhere. Replace gutters later.

I guess I'm just saying that sometimes you gotta do what you can with what you have and we need ideas, people. Put on your thinking caps and come up with ways for the ordinary person, or an average street block to save their homes. They can't rely on anyone but themselves, their friends and neighbors. Sending relief after a loss is a far second-best solution.

smithbryan42: Man, I bet the people in San Fran are rioting, looting, and shooting at rescuers. This is what the media has told me is acceptable in national disasters.

You are aware where "San Fran" lies in relation to the fires, right?

Insert FAIL pic here.

Regarding all the idiots who say the people who live in these areas deserve to have their houses burned down. The entire city of San Diego is weaved in and out of mountains and canyons. Even downtown is surrounded canyons. So unless you live right on the beach or in the very center of downtown I guess everyone deserves to have their house burned down. All 3 million of the idiots who decided to live in one of the most beautiful cities in the country.

Also the areas that are burning are the most expensive homes in the country to some of the more lower income areas of sd. From the mountains in the east to the ocean to the west and down to the border.

I thank fark for these threads and all who shared stories and info. No work, no school, nothing's open but fark.


/sorry for feeding the troll
/that is all

What's absolutely amazing is the amount of cooperation, assistance and comeraderie shown by all involved. I've been known to poke some good natured fun at you guys, but I've got nothing but the utmost respect and admiration for you.

thermodie: F.E.M.A. where are you with your big plan? Katrina wasn't enough?

This should be the last straw for the American people.

Oh, come on.
This is a big disaster, but so far it has been well-managed.
No massive loss of life, evacuations are going smoothly, evacuation centers seem to have what they need.
What is there to get fed up about?
All that's happened was Nature's doing, and our gummint can't really change that too easily.

SubBass49: weemonkey:
I'm up the street from there! Hi neighbor! Wow, I did not know any other Farkers that close to me.

Haha...awesome.

What street you on?

Mollison.

Ugh, Kip's is busy. We tried to order Chinese takeout and I got a message. That's never happened before.

mercurial: Just an update: my mom was able to return to her house in Carmel Valley (east of Del Mar off the 56). According to my brother, the air is pretty clear there, so the wind is definitely blowing everything northwest.

I'm glad your Mom made it through OK. I have family in the same area (N. of 56, E. of El Camino Real), so it sounds like their home is safe too.

weemonkey: Mollison.

Ugh, Kip's is busy. We tried to order Chinese takeout and I got a message. That's never happened before.

Right on...I was thinkin of gettin some chicken...

(that pic of Ahnold & the lady made me crave Popeye's for some reason)

Press Conference
560,000 evacuated.
50,000 have been able to return.
200,000+ acres burned.
1,250 residences lost.
18,000 calls to 2-1-1 have been made.
5-1-1 is still operational for road issues.
Repopulated Scripps Ranch.
Repopulating Del Mar tomorrow.
Structures destroyed have been made available for Rancho Bernardo: www.sandiego.gov -> council district 5
As of 3pm: 480 homes destroyed and 65 damaged (City of San Diego).

dj_bigbird: I just thought I'd say hello and everything is fairly normal here in the ghetto. Got a newspaper and water delivery today. Just hiding in the house watching the news.

Glad to hear you are ok, I was wondering how things were doing your way. Did you have to evacuate?

Scanner question: what state park are they referring to?

artvandelay22, looks like we may be able to head home soon. Our neighborhood seems to be OK. Wish your family the best.

quadrophrenic: Fallbrook is nothing like Hollywood, not that I would appreciate Hollywood burning down.

I find it sickly amusing that the hater rubes think that any significant portion of the US entertainment industry is still in "Hollywood".

This isn't 1947, you tards.

KIA: Okay, I understand that official firefighting equipment and manpower is absolutely overwhelmed, but couldn't homeowners use their existing pumps to absolutely drench their property? Some of those pool pumps can really move water.

when its hot, dry, and the wind is fast, and the flames are high, you're simply not going to move enough water. What you do move will dry too soon in the hot and rapid air. Plus, I have an inkling you've never seen a wind-blown shower of sparks. Not just little fireflies drifting down, but a literal pressurized shower of very hot, not so tiny flaming embers.

I guess I'm just saying that sometimes you gotta do what you can with what you have and we need ideas, people. Put on your thinking caps and come up with ways for the ordinary person, or an average street block to save their homes. They can't rely on anyone but themselves, their friends and neighbors. Sending relief after a loss is a far second-best solution.

Prepare BEFORE a disaster of this magnitude, so you can GTFO when you need to, and make sure your insurance is paid up. Conversely, make sure that if its the sort of disaster where you have to stay put, you can make it a couple weeks without help.

More than 700 horses – refugees from both the Orange County and San Diego fires – are being stabled at The Oaks, an equestrian showground in San Juan Capistrano. However, organizers there say they are at capacity. - 6:24 p.m.

For a list of homes that burned in Rancho Bernardo, go here (New window & it's a PDF) Courtesy of KPBS and Sand Diego Gov't.

If I were a rich southern Californian I would have a sprinkler system on my house to keep it wet during the fires.

PhilMP: Downtown Dave is from Overland Park, KS. Not surprised by his ignorance of comments, as that town is teeming with self-important suburbanites, although there are many well-wishing folks in KS hoping you all are okay.

I evacuated from Rancho Penasquitos (NORTH of the 56) yesterday morning and just went on recon to check out the house if I could get to it with the wife. The vons right by it was busy, but closing at 6PM. On the way into the neighborhood to our house about 1/2 the houses had their trash cans out. So I take it not that many people evacuated. I live right by vons.

As far as fires go, in the area, I couldn't see any issues within site. It wasn't windy, but it was smokier smelling then Tierrasanta.

...and rbuzby is from Seattle.

Go figure.

Someone from a wet and rainy place would not understand fire and drought issues?

shocking

Sharkface217: Do we need this many threads? Just wondering.

It's a hot topic.

KarmicDisaster

"I'd build my house out of bricks rather than sticks or straw."

I guess you have to pick your poison. Earthquakes are as common as fires down there, and brick doesn't respond as nicely to earthquakes as wood frame construction does.

If you want to make donations, I recommend the Lions Clubs. Not to knock the Red Cross, but 100% of the money donated to Lions goes back to the community- all administrative costs are paid through member dues. The club's members are all local community members- they'll know best what their community needs.

It looks like any club in region 4-L is in the fire area. You can find lists of local clubs here (^) and here(pops)

/Lion in NY
/nope, not just old white guys anymore.

SubBass49, weemonkey and other El Cajon / La Mesa Farkers

Looks like we will be OK. Been an exhausting couple of days. Not completly out of the woods yet, but it looks much better than this morning.

San Diego County Firemap as of 6PM (new window) Warning: 1.75 MB PDF file). Contains fire perimeters, evac areas, road closures, re-opened areas, etc.

Disturbingly, the fire perimeter map shows a plume of the Harris fire down South that seems to be going toward the San Diego State University area. There's a little distance yet, so I hope the predictions of a die-down of the Santa Ana winds are true.

rbuzby: If I were a rich southern Californian I would have a sprinkler system on my house to keep it wet during the fires.

... with what water? The power lines are going down, so the pumping stations are going offline.

fredbox: weemonkey: f/want to go up north to OR, WA, & Canada one of these days. Never been.

Crash by my place in OR anytime. I may lie and tell you I'm my daddy but its all in good sport. Don't forget to visit AK, too.

/a million acres a year burn up there
//never greenlit

Wouldn't you have to be from the South if you were your own daddy? LOL!

SubBass49
...and rbuzby is from Seattle.
Go figure.
Someone from a wet and rainy place would not understand fire and drought issues?
shocking"



What are you talking about SuBass49?

I think you have confused me with people in this thread blaming the victims. I have not done that. Except for people who cancel their home insurance; that I can not understand.

rbuzby: If I were a rich southern Californian I would have a sprinkler system on my house to keep it wet during the fires.

All the money in the world doesn't keep water and electricity flowing. And in case your wondering, a generator will shut down at 120-130 degrees, but I doubt wild fires burn that hot. Sorry maybe you just don't know.

/wishing I knew all these rich southern Californians, I need a loan.

Lake Cuyamaca threatened
Posted @ 6:36 PM

Lake Cuyamaca is threatened and about 300 residents there have been evacuated. About 30 employees said they planned to stay there as long as possible to protect the resort.

--Ed Zieralski

Military convoys heading to Southland
Posted @ 6:32 PM

A convoy of about 20 or 30 military vehicles was heading south on Interstate 5 about 6:30 p.m. The convoy was seen about 100 miles south of Sacramento and was heading toward San Diego.

-- Ed Zieralski

Press Conference:
Harris
72,000 acres
2 fronts:
West side (stronger this morning)
NE side

Last night in Deerhorn Community:
50 homes lost
Many homes saved.
Firefighters sheltered people who had defied evac orders in their station.

Firefighters are tired, including leadership.
They have missed meals and sleep due to necessity.

Good news:
Spring Valley was successfully protected (250 homes saved).
Jamul fire is backing down..
Chula Vista looks better.
TJ offered 34 firefighters and SD accepted the offer, they will be here tonight.

Bad news:
Del Sur area had devestating losses.
Indian Springs is being threatened

Witch Fire
196,428 acres.
Rancho Santa Fe and Del Dios were areas challenged today.
100 homes in Del Dios harmed.
Minimal progress to the West.
Moved North and moved East.
480 structures destroyed.
65 damaged.
Winds surfaced early and didn't let up until an hour ago.

Harris Fire
Moving East, challenging communities there.
TJ is providing engines.

Poomacha
23,000 acres
5-10 structures destroyed
On Mt Palomar, burning SW to valley center and back up by Hwy 76.

Rice Fire
Slowed down since this morning.
Santa Margarita drainage has stopped most of the progress of this fire.
650 people working on the fire.

The firefighters are kicking serious ass. Defending the evacuees at Steele Canyon HS, saving all homes in Jamul and Spring Valley. Cuyamaca, just north of State Route 79 and Eagle Peak in the Engineers Road area - MANDATORY EVAC NOTICE.

Thanks to the good guys here, I was able to tell a friend of mine what was going on where his youngest daughter lives(Fallbrook).

/thanks from Wyoming.

North County animal shelters opened
Posted @ 6:48 PM

North County Humane Society & SPCA has now opened two temporary animal shelters; one at El Camino High School, 400 Rancho Del Oro in Oceanside, and a second at MiraCosta College, 1 Barnard Drive in Oceanside.
They are asking people to bring their livestock to El Camino High and to keep small animals in crates, if available.
Donations of the following are needed at the shelters: money, blankets and comforters, dog kennels, leashes, litter and litter boxes, toys and treats, tarps, bowls. towels, large crates for cats, canopies and tents, hay, oats, alfalfa pellets, large buckets.

--Lola Sherman

xtex:
To the trolls -- go fark yourself. Seriously. Why are you even reading this thread?

This is a fine question, and one that deserves a proper exegesis. Unfortunately, given the ephemeral nature of this thread, there isn't actually time to compose one.

There are essentially three types of people who gain from reading this type of hands-on disaster thread. They are: "The Vicarious Romancer", "The Concerned Citizen" and "The One Who Knows Best".

The Vicarious Romancer derives pleasure by fantasizing about being in the heart of the ordeal and what they would do, given the chance. These are the types of people who take up mountain climbing after reading books like "Into Thin Air". They don't care so much about the actual stories of the people involved, but rather, whether or not given the chance, could they test themselves and succeed.

The Concerned Citizen genuinely is interested in the well-being of the people caught up in the catastrophe at hand. These people may have relatives in the area or are possibly just kind-hearted in general. They read threads like this out of a desire to help people, even when it's quite obvious that they are powerless to do so.

The One Who Knows Best enjoys lording their long distance superiority over people actually down in the thick of things. This is the group of people who would say "flee a hurricane" or "don't build houses there". These suggestions are often valid, but irrelevant once the shiat hits the fan. This is often the modus operandi of your typical TMZ.com user, who enjoys gloating in the demise of idols.


If anything, these threads will be a very interesting historical log in a few years, just like the 9/11 posts.


Perhaps. This type of event demonstrates one of the great powers of the internet--to give information firsthand, circumventing the usual sources. This is a rather new occurrence within civilization. There is no intermediaries to alter the information and siphon distorted contextualizations. No longer is it necessary to hear from your 3rd cousin that his old college roommate said that things are bad out there. You get it yourself.

The largest float plane in the world is being flown down from Port Alberni, B.C. Canada. 200 ft wingspan to provide firefighting

I've been watching that DC-10 drop water. I think they must have had to put in a special seat for the guy who flies that thing.

fredbox: KIA: Okay, I understand that official firefighting equipment and manpower is absolutely overwhelmed, but couldn't homeowners use their existing pumps to absolutely drench their property? Some of those pool pumps can really move water.

when its hot, dry, and the wind is fast, and the flames are high, you're simply not going to move enough water. What you do move will dry too soon in the hot and rapid air. Plus, I have an inkling you've never seen a wind-blown shower of sparks. Not just little fireflies drifting down, but a literal pressurized shower of very hot, not so tiny flaming embers.

I guess I'm just saying that sometimes you gotta do what you can with what you have and we need ideas, people. Put on your thinking caps and come up with ways for the ordinary person, or an average street block to save their homes. They can't rely on anyone but themselves, their friends and neighbors. Sending relief after a loss is a far second-best solution.

Prepare BEFORE a disaster of this magnitude, so you can GTFO when you need to, and make sure your insurance is paid up. Conversely, make sure that if its the sort of disaster where you have to stay put, you can make it a couple weeks without help.

Partially right, Fred; she was asking about the homeowners end of actually using the things. All I got to say to that, Kia, is... yeah... right. The people who live on the edges of the interface can't even do their clearances; what are the chances of them using a pump from their pool?

That said, it can be done, as John Lucas did in the conflagration a few years ago. He invested a lot of money in his system because he was well aware of the history of the area. Unfortunately, not everyone has the smarts to do that kind of thing, let alone the money.

So, Kia, is it possible? Yes. Likely? No.

/human nature, baby
//Lucas and I were on the 'Shots together
/that's why I remembered the incident and article