Where there's smoke...

It's been a nasty fire season! The smoke really hit up in Pismo Beach on the 10th. Here's a pano of the smoke coming in that morning:

I shot this one a little while later, when it was really getting thick. Used a fill flash, just to show the color temp difference.

Drove down to LA, yesterday, and a lot of the heavy smoke had cleared around Carpenteria, but the hils were all burnt - hard to really see, as there was still a lot of smoking haze in the air. Another shot of the same area, where the fire had jumped HWY 101 and burned some palms on the opposite side.

Be safe, Nancy!

Just this last summer up here in British Columbia, our entire city was evacuated for 6 weeks as we were completely surrounded fire. I know all too well the experience they are going through.

Be safe.

I hate to admit that I was initially intent on complaining about some product related glitch until I saw that astounding photo, reality set in as I awoke to our society's general situation.
My thoughts go out to the "Forces of the Cosmos" - laws of nature that we are all subject to, no matter our beliefs...

There are now 6 fires burning across Southern California.  Below are their respective Twitter hashtag links.

#ThomasFire -115,000 acres, 5%

#CreekFire - 15,000 acres, 20%

#RyeFire - 7,000 acres, 25%

#LilacFire - 2,500 acres, 0%

#SkirballFire - 475 acres, 20%

#LibertyFire - 300 Acres, 10%

I saw and lived this nightmare when I was a teenager, the flames were even closer than in the photo and I was terrorized.

I sympathize with all human, animal and plant victims.

I just came to the Lounge specifically to start a thread about the California fires.  They were the lead item on our TV news.  40 fatalities, hundreds of homes, and thousands of acres of woodland destroyed. We saw a fire chief being interviewed standing in what looked like gale force winds.  Goodness...  conditions could hardly be worse.  We also saw people driving out with huge flames all around them, and where the fire had jumped a major highway.  So much for the wee firebreaks they usually cut to try and halt a wild fire's progress.

Nancy's comment about Rupert Mudoch's estate struck a chord, as one of the first things that came to my mind when seeing where the fires were, is that there must have been some substantial properties involved.  Not a great time to be in insurance methinks.  I think most of the Adobe staff we know are further north, but I wish them, and their friends and families, a good outcome. 

We have had one weather related record after another broken here, and I read that this is the worst year on record for California fires.  In fact there's a degree of cruel irony involved, because after that terrible drought, I understand well above rainfall lead to a particularly lush growth of ground covering plant life, which then dried out to create a perfect kindling. The last I saw, thousands of firefighters still hadn't managed to get the fires under control.  I'm sure we are all thinking of you, and beaming positive vibes your way.

sorry about the fire but love the image Nancy

Thanks for sharing this, Nancy.  I'm sure many of us know of people in Los Angeles affected by this in some way, and at this time of year especially it would be good to share with this group so close to home.