Mon, Jun 23 2008

More on Buena Vista area and Trabing fire

Unfortunately some animals perished in the Trabing fire and some homes (and other structures) were destroyed. But our firefighters and other emergency personnel worked with heroic speed to keep the damage to a minimum and some quick-moving neighbors helped rescue quite a few animals.

Our neighborhood was technically evacuated. Though many residents stayed home to protect their property, everyone was nervous about the possibility of winds sending the fire our direction and the eucalyptus leaves and burned bark raining down on our yards and roofs told us we were looking at a balance that could change at any moment. It's the first time we felt fire as a real threat in the nearly 14 years we've lived here.

To add insult to injury, a weather system came through on Saturday and we had isolated rain showers and a good deal of thunder and lightning, the last of which started several other small fires. With all the fire fighting personnel staged in our area most of the fires were extinguished quickly, but there are still some areas in the Mount Madonna area that are burning.

Cooler temperatures brought some relief to the area Sunday, after an unusually hot spell. We're all hoping this week is calmer. This is just the beginning of the official fire season in the state. I hope we aren't in for a wild ride all summer long.

There are banners and posters along the roads, thanking fire fighters and other workers for a great job. We are all blessed by their efforts and I hope they know how appreciated they are.

posted at: 13:02 | category: /Miscellaneous | link to this entry