FIRE BY DAVID'S HOUSE

I am sure you have all heard that over the last few days, Southern California has big one huge blaze. Thankfully, things have calmed down a bit today, and it looks like the fires are being contained. There have been 5 fires in Santa Clarita, where David and Stacy live. They are living with Stacy's sister's family, and on Sunday night, one of the fires came over the hill down toward Stacy's sister's house. The neighborhood was evacuated, and at one point, the firefighters were battling the fire from their backyard. Dave and Stacy's new house is still being built, and is in the wood frame stage. A fire broke out about a mile from the house, which worried me. I called David (who didn't know about it at that point) so I wouldn't be alone in my worrying! He was VERY appreciative. Joke. :-) Here is a picture of the blaze that broke out down the street from them.

Thankfully, the fire did not get very close, and their house was still standing in the morning. But, some buildings nearby were not as fortunate. Our home in Moreno Valley sort of sits in a basin with several of the fires encircling us. The Santa Clarita fires are to the northwest, the Arrowhead fires are to the northeast, and the Temecula and San Diego fires are to the south. Until today, the wind was miserable. There was dust and smoke permeating the air, and everything outside was filthy. Several schools near here were closed due to poor air quality, but unfortunatly, the one where I work remained open. Darn! Several of the fires have been blamed on arsons -- I sure hope they catch whomever is responsible. The sun looked really wierd today, kind of dark orange, trying to push it's way through the smoky sky.