California Fires

[GaleriaGila]

What a horrible thing. Please accept my deepest care for your stress and loss.
I wish there were something/anything I could do.

 

[LaManuka]

My prayers go out to all affected by this nightmare. I hope it's over soon, it's truly horrifying.

 

[texsize]

The Lidia fire is quite close to me, 20/30 miles west.
But being “wind driven “ by the Santa Anna’s it’s not coming my direction.

The winds are a yearly occurrence.
Where I live in the high desert is close to where they start and normally barely noticeable. I get the heavy winds when storms “blow in” from off the coast.

But those winds this time were very strong.
You get desensitized against all the warnings and the media hype “storm of the century “ nonsense.
They cry wolf too much.
Then when it’s real………

Nothing damaged here, just blew some solar panels over.

But sending prayers to all those affected directly by damaged property or the thousands that have been forced to evacuate.

 

[LaManuka]

The Lidia fire is quite close to me, 20/30 miles west.
But being “wind driven “ by the Santa Anna’s it’s not coming my direction.

The winds are a yearly occurrence.
Where I live in the high desert is close to where they start and normally barely noticeable. I get the heavy winds when storms “blow in” from off the coast.

But those winds this time were very strong.
You get desensitized against all the warnings and the media hype “storm of the century “ nonsense.
They cry wolf too much.
Then when it’s real………

Nothing damaged here, just blew some solar panels over.

But sending prayers to all those affected directly by damaged property or the thousands that have been forced to evacuate.

I hope you stay safe up there, Wes!

 

[DonnaBudgie]

I've lived through the California wildfires myself. My house in Malibu burned completely back in Nov '93. We rebuilt and sold it. The house we rebuilt burned a couple months ago. I'm supposed to go out there or 7-10 days in a couple weeks but I'm pretty nervous. The house I'll be staying in is in the Hollywood Hills and that area is now threatened. The current situation out there is far worse than I've ever seen and I was out there from 1991 to 2026! I saw many wildfires in that 25 years. Most people can't imagine what it's like- the smell is horrible. A lot of birds are dying and there's nothing we can do about it but hope and pray.

 

[JjEjFjF]

completely back in Nov '93. We rebuilt and sold it

Just like the people who live on the coast in Florida. They get wiped out and just rebuilt like its not gonna happen again. Its madness.

"The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results"

 

[DonnaBudgie]

I was so sad when I read that one of the people killed in the California wildfires was an 85 year old woman who refused to evacuate, preferring to stay behind with her dog, turtle, canary and two parrots. According to the article, she could have left. Her home care agency aide offered to come get her but she refused, preferring to remain with her pets. Presumably, they weren't willing to take her pets, too, or she would have gone. They found her body in her car at her home so apparently she tried unsuccessfully to leave at the last minute. No mention of the fate of her beloved birds and animals.

When my home burned in a California wildfire back in the 90s we were out of town burying my then husband's mother in Kentucky so I was unable to get anything out myself but the woman who worked for us in our home took my budgie and cockatiel with her when she evacuated.

The loss of 16 and still counting human lives is tragic. Many of them could have saved themselves but refused to leave their property, foolishly thinking they could fend off the flames with garden hoses, or preferring to die rather than live without their worldly possessions. The number of pets, that have perished, including countless parrots, is particularly upsetting because those innocent creatures had no choice. We can only hope that they didn't suffer too much.