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CA on fire again Pages: 12

Mitch on Sun October 26, 2003 12:42 PM User is offline

Ambient Temp: 83F

It's happening again, Southern CA is on fire. Relative Humidity is 5%

The Fire Dept just came by and recommended that we evacuate. It is just voluntary in my neighborhood right now, but it may be mandatory some time later. It depends on which way the wind blows. Lots of houses gone already about 15 miles away. The wife is packing up the pictures and her clothes into her car. I think I'll put my expensive tools in mine just in case.

Here's a pic outside the front door about an hour ago.


Edited: Sun October 26, 2003 at 12:43 PM by Mitch

TRB on Sun October 26, 2003 2:33 PM User is offlineView users profile

Watching the news yesterday and it looked pretty wild. With those winds kicking up it could switch directions and be on you before you know it. Be safe and take caution!!!!!

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Edited: Sun October 26, 2003 at 2:33 PM by TRB

Mitch on Sun October 26, 2003 5:31 PM User is offline

We had to bail.

I could see a neighbors house a couple of blocks away burning.when the next door neighbors front yard caught fire from embers we decided to leave.

I just checked my answering machine, and it still answers so the house is probably still there.

Edited: Sun October 26, 2003 at 5:32 PM by Mitch

NickD on Sun October 26, 2003 9:53 PM User is offline

So sorry to hear about your plight, Mitch, gosh that sounds terrible. Was any thought given to the possibility like something like this may even be inevitable? But no use in crying over split milk as they say. Just hope your home is spared and happy to hear both you and your wife are okay.

I was gone all day today, I did hear about the fires in southern CA over the news, but never put two and two together, had no idea these fires were so close to your home. May God be with you. Nick.

TRB on Sun October 26, 2003 10:11 PM User is offlineView users profile

They just announced that the Monday Night Football game scheduled in San Diego has been moved to Arizona. I caught the news a couple of different times today and it looks as though the fire is right on top od some towns and cities.

I hope the best for all the citizens as many are loosing there homes in what may be arson in at least one of the fires.

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When considering your next auto A/C purchase, please consider the site that supports you: ACkits.com
Contact: ACKits.com

JJM on Mon October 27, 2003 12:07 AM User is offline

Mitch,

I'm glad to hear the answering machine is still picking up, indeed a good sign. I'll keep you in my prayers.

From the news reports I've seen, it appears some were able to save their homes by spraying them down with water before the flames hit. Were you able to do this?

It many parts of the world, especially in South America, homes are made of concrete and steel. In my opinion, this is the best way to build. I don't why we here in the U.S. build almost exclusively with wood.

What angers me more than anything else about the fires in CA – again as you pointed out – is that they were most likely were totally preventable. Problem is, all these damn environmentalists stand in the way of everything sensible, and in this case, that would be clear cutting. These people are a bunch of fools, because instead of saving the forests, acres upon acres of forests are being destroyed. Not only that, the fires are causing REAL air pollution, a heck of a lot more than CFC's and other bogeymen they're all so "concerned" about.

Unfortunately Californian's, for the most part, don't seem to learn. They embrace all this silly environmentalism, and then wonder why they have all these problems. The state's energy problems are another of example of these. They all want to blame Enron, but the fact is if more power plants are not going to be built – REAL power plants, not those silly wind mills or solar power – then of course there is going to be power shortages. This is not rocket science, and it seems the people that complain the loudest about the power outages are the ones picketing over the construction of new power plants.

I'm sure many of the folks who lost their homes probably still oppose clear cutting. Instead they want to blame the arsonist. A lightning stike could've set off these fires, which would've likely been relatively harmless (at least to private property) if clear cutting were allowed.

And still Californian's won't learn.

Joe

FrankD. on Mon October 27, 2003 12:26 AM User is offline

Hi Mitch i hope your house ok , the fires were all over the news here. Wish i could send some of this rain to you.

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FrankD.

Karl Hofmann on Mon October 27, 2003 3:56 AM User is offlineView users profile

Joe

If environmental issues were left just to the industrialists, we would be all going round with our own Oxygen supply. If you ever get the chance visit Rome in the Summer, the smell is ghastly, or try to drive round Milan in the winter, the smog there is the worst that I have ever seen (I'm not old enough to remember the famous London smog). Ten years ago in Bangkok clouds of exhaust fumes could be seen whafting past our hotel window and traffic cops carried respirators.......Mmmm Nice!

The environmentalists can go too far also, and the do have some bizarre ideas and these also should be kept in check, not all things environmental are right for the environment either, I agree about the fire breaks, its only common sense. What does seem a little odd is that in an area that is becoming more notorious for fires is why build in timber? and do the insurance companies insure such buildings for fire damage? Even our thatched cottages must be treated with fire retardant chemicals, and then only specialist insurance companies would touch them.

Mitch

I hope that answering machine is still working, good luck!

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Never knock on deaths door... Ring the doorbell and run away, death really hates that!

Chick on Mon October 27, 2003 6:53 AM User is offlineView users profile

Mitch, my prayers are also with you..Seems like you're getting pounded every year from fires...But, houses can be rebuilt..Lives are something else..Stay safe...

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Chick
Email: Chick

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Freedoms just another word for nothing left to lose

NickD on Mon October 27, 2003 9:18 AM User is offline

Wind powered electricity is no longer silly, for new plants, is just as cheap as coal, but once the coal is gone, it's gone, least for the next million or so years.

I wonder about Mitch's home fire insurance, his safety and that of his families is of utmost importance, Mitch didn't have to be told to leave. But the bottom line does exist between him and his insurance company. I have wondered for the first time, why the state issues me a drivers license, they are not liable for my actions, but my insurance company is. But just like the 609 certificate, the state still has to issue a drivers license so they have the legal right to fine you if you broke any of the laws. Confusing, isn't it?

With my own letters about fire breaks being an advantage for a power transmission line, it occurred to me I was equally inept in my own back yard, well my accident had a lot to do with that, but the underbrush really took over and couldn't even walk around my home. This last year, we cleaned all that out even taking down a couple of trees that were too close to my home. Fire and wind damage is still a possibility. I could easily afford a concrete and steel structure if it wasn't for property taxes, I can't make any improvements here without first contacting the building inspector and getting a permit, that permit is instantly copied to the tax assessors office. Got a letter from the assessors office quicker than I could drive home from city hall informing me that my taxes were going up.

So is safety the key issue in building a home, if I made a fire proof home, shouldn't I get a tax deduction? Not quite.

k5guy on Mon October 27, 2003 10:11 AM User is offline

Nick, the same arguement extends to flood damage. People insist on building closer and closer to the water, but file claims when nature happens and washes the house away. But the city inspectors approved the plans in the first place. The new owner takes the risk that his house will not be washed away, the city collects even more property taxes, and collectively, through insurance premiums and taxes, we get to pay for the owner to rebuild. Doesn't seem fair, does it?


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Edited: Mon October 27, 2003 at 10:12 AM by k5guy

NickD on Mon October 27, 2003 10:52 AM User is offline

My home insurance policy excludes any flood damage, I can get it, but would add drastically to my premium costs. My view is that I was dumb enough to dig a hole in the ground for my basement that can be filled up with water. In other parts of town, sewer backup is quite common in the low areas when storm water over floods the sewer system. While those people grip, neither the city nor their insurance company will clean up the mess, the city blames nature when we get a heavy rainfall and can't control every home that dumps their sump pump water into the sewer line.

My precautions is not to put carpeting on the basement floor and the fact that my home is on top of a hill is no accident, I also have battery backup for a sump pump with a wire running out to the garage where I can use any vehicle to keep that battery charged. I guy can go broke buying insurance for every little thing. For years I carried nondeductible, those days are history, what nondeductible costs today is almost as much as the deductible. I am paying a few dollars more for $500.00 deductible than $1,000 deductible, but kicking around just switching to $1,000.00. This assume that any little bit of damage would be repaired by a contractor. If a storm door gets caught by the wind, I can replace that broken hinge for a couple of bucks without calling in a contractor that would charge hundreds for the same job.

Ha, in a house I owned 30 years ago I put up a nice two car garage for a total cost including the concrete for $800.00. It was fun and good exercise and was a lot cheaper than renting space for the five years I lived there. The new owners experienced a power company transformer blow up that burnt some of the siding on that garage a year later. I came over and looked at it, the repair estimates was $2,300.00. I didn't make any comments but knew I could repair that in less than a day for about 50 bucks, that is another reason why insurance premiums are getting very expensive. Hell, I had a dead tree and called a guy just to top it, he wanted $350.00 for five minutes work, he said let your insurance company pay for it. Said my deductible is higher than that, so we topped it ourselves, not only him both two others gave the same quote. I never asked them what it would cost to remove the entire tree, but three of us were done cutting and hauling it away in about 3 hours.

I see my neighbors paying for that, wonder if I am helping them pay for that too? I still don't know why they classified that idiot that hit me as an "accident", that word, "accident" or an act of God, is used too frequently.

steve325is on Mon October 27, 2003 4:59 PM User is offline

Mitch,

I was thinking about you this morning as I was reading about the San Diego fires in the newspaper. I was also thinking about an old friend who used to live in Crestline, wondering if he still lived there, or if he has moved. We haven't heard from him for a couple years, and have no way to get ahold of him.

Hope everything turns out ok for you.

Steve

JJM on Mon October 27, 2003 5:03 PM User is offline

Attention Mitch,

I know you've certainly got a lot to worry about, but if you see this, could you just "check-in" here with a quick note to let us know everything is okay.

Though hopefully it will not have been necessary, I hope you had the opportunity to gather up your family photographs and other priceless family heirlooms.

It goes without saying, our prayers and thoughts are with you.

All the best,

Joe

Mitch on Mon October 27, 2003 6:20 PM User is offline

We're back!

We had to evacuate from the first place we went because of another fire coming too close to there.

My neighbor's house two doors away is gone and was still smoking when we got here a half hour ago.

I only lost some plastic sprinkler pipe and a couple of good orange trees.

Pics later.

NickD on Mon October 27, 2003 8:09 PM User is offline

Thank God, Mitch, how does your area look and smell, I can only guess. Happy your home is still there, buddy.

Mitch on Mon October 27, 2003 8:26 PM User is offline

It smells like an old fireplace here. Ash everywhere. Here's a pic of the house two doors down from mine. It was still smoking when we got here. The only one on my block to suffer, but six more a couple of streets over are gone. Over 500 houses in the county burned to the ground.

I can still see flames on a hillside about 8-10 miles away. The fires are not out by any means. It just burned thru my neighborhood and now the danger is low right here because the tinder dry brush has been burned out.

TRB on Mon October 27, 2003 9:05 PM User is offlineView users profile

Glad to hear you're okay but sad to here about the neighbor's! Anyway it can come back your way or is everything pretty much burnt?

-------------------------

When considering your next auto A/C purchase, please consider the site that supports you: ACkits.com
Contact: ACKits.com

Mitch on Mon October 27, 2003 9:16 PM User is offline

I am almost certain that nothing much more can burn here. The hills are completely denuded of vegetation. Burning ash from distant fires doesn't cause a problem when you have a concrete tile roof like mine. Folks with shake wood roofs still have to worry, but there are none right here.

TRB on Mon October 27, 2003 10:06 PM User is offlineView users profile

Is that an aluminum fence in the picture? Wonder what effect the fire will have on those rattlesnakes? How is the wild life after the fire or have they all moved on so too speak?

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When considering your next auto A/C purchase, please consider the site that supports you: ACkits.com
Contact: ACKits.com

Mitch on Tue October 28, 2003 1:12 PM User is offline

The fence was plastic. Saw some quail yesterday. Just got back again this morning because we went back to our friend's place last night since we had left all our stuff there not knowing what we would find on the first trip here. Air quality was bad here too, ash everywhere and still coming down like a snow flurries, it hurts your eyes and lungs.

I will be cleaning for a week or more, but at least I have something to clean. They are now saying that 800 houses have been destroyed.

Bigchris on Tue October 28, 2003 6:10 PM User is offline

Mitch, I'm really glad to hear that you came through this so well and happy too that you won't be troubled by the hoards of jack leg carpenter locusts soon to arrive in your neighborhood. We see them here after every hurricane but somehow or other someone here passed laws against tar and feathers.

TRB on Tue October 28, 2003 7:29 PM User is offlineView users profile

It is a shame when someone takes advantage of someone else in their time of need. Now where did that magic a/c in a can go too!!!!!!!!!!

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When considering your next auto A/C purchase, please consider the site that supports you: ACkits.com
Contact: ACKits.com

Mitch on Tue October 28, 2003 9:35 PM User is offline

Here's a sad story. This is the remains of the house of a friend who built it in 1959 and lived there ever since. It was classic late 50s. Low and wide with lots of glass and a very big fireplace that is pretty much the only thing left.

She was awakened at 4:30 AM Sunday by the roar of the fire. She got away only with the clothes she was wearing and tore the rear bumper off her car getting out of the garage and driveway. She hasn't seen the remains yet. We are going to take her over there tomorrow.

The pics were taken at 2:30 PM and I barely had enough light due to the smoke. That is the sun in the one picture. There were still live flames comming from a tree stump when we got there. I don't think it could have done any more damage, but we went down to the fire engine that was standing by and they came up and put it out.



Edited: Tue October 28, 2003 at 9:41 PM by Mitch

TRB on Tue October 28, 2003 9:40 PM User is offlineView users profile

Are you hearing Gray Davis left some tankers on the ground waiting for the fires to be called a state of emergency so the feds would pay the bill instead of the state?

-------------------------

When considering your next auto A/C purchase, please consider the site that supports you: ACkits.com
Contact: ACKits.com


Edited: Tue October 28, 2003 at 9:41 PM by TRB

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