2016-08-12
I’ve had an intense several weeks. The Soberanes Fire has ravaged the Palo Colorado community, which was my home for several years and continues to be a second home for me and especially for my daughter. So many friends and neighbors have lost their homes. Most of T’s acreage has burned. His home, along with a few neighbors’, is now an unburned island in the midst of a desolate charred wasteland.
I was so afraid for his safety, for his home, and for the others in the community. I was sick with worry about those I knew were on their properties, defending their homes, especially T, who I knew to be impaired by a terrible flu and high fever. Each new report of a home burned was like a knife in my gut. A bulldozer operator died fighting the fire. Another knife to the gut.
I know what it is like to feel like your life has been destroyed, the past obliterated, your future a yawning chasm of uncertainty, all your illusions of safety and security destroyed at a stroke. Perhaps losing your home, your possessions is not the same as losing your spouse, but in some ways it gives me that same feeling. Like a partner, your home is your sanctuary, your anchor and refuge in a world of chaos and transience.
2016-07-25 Facebook posts: a snapshot of what a day of this fire was like.
1 p.m. I just talked to T and he is at home, still safe. He was actively fighting the fire last night, along with a 50-member crew from CalFire. All the deadwood, tree and brush clearing that he has done over the years is now paying off in a big way. They’ve been using all the fire roads he’s worked to keep clear as well. Because of his level of preparedness, CalFire has been motivated to (and able to) make a stand all along his property at Long Ridge Rd, which you can clearly see on the maps. They have been making heavy use of his water tanks (all that storage is paying off). He’s now 7k gallons low on his needs for the coming year, but that’s why I bought that water trailer a few years ago. That thing has really come in handy as well. It has a powered sprayer and he’s been using it to put out spot fires.
He said he could watch the fire slow down significantly when it reached areas where he has done clearing.
Tr’s place burned (empty for years), and they were going to let O's burn (Because it is a wood structure? Because it isn’t a primary residence?), but T convinced the captain to save it (with water from his lower tanks) because from there the fire could easily come back up the brush hillside towards P’s and his place [O's later burned]. Much of the woods on T’s lower property to the north have burned (CalFire did a backburn down there), but R’s house is safe. W’s burned. F's is safe [F’s later burned]. J's is safe.
They now have a pretty good firebreak where the fire has already come through and burned all the fuel to the north and west, but they are not completely out of danger yet. It could still wrap around from the south or east. We are all hoping that will not happen.
T is still sick and completely exhausted, but has kept going, because what else can he do? Some neighbors are going to try to come back up today, so he won’t be the only resident up there any more.
This has been an intense roller coaster of emotions for me, and I am safe in my home in Santa Barbara. My heart goes out to all those whose homes are endangered or burned. Because I'm secure and have internet and phone I'm doing my best to keep everyone updated with whatever info I can find. I've got Google earth and the latest MODIS data.
I had an intense moment yesterday afternoon when I saw the latest data, showing T's home safe, and my spirit soared. Then I saw that a neighbor's home had burned, the swath of red across all of upper Green Ridge and so much more of the Palo community, and just like that I came crashing down again. Burst into tears. This isn't just points and lines and polygons on a map, these are people's homes. Their histories. Their lives. I know what it is like to feel like you've completely lost the life you had, to have no idea what the future will be.
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