It has been so sad to see the
devastation brought by the second fire to sweep through north Orange County,
California, in less than a month and largely in the same area. A few of my
friends had homes threatened in the first fire, but this second fire completely
gutted 14 homes and structures and 22 in total were either destroyed or damaged.
My office building was closed early due to the ash and debris field brought on
by winds that sometimes gusted up to 40 miles per hour. Ashes from the fire
landed on the beach more than 25 miles from the site of the fire.
It began late Monday morning, 10/9, and
as of this writing, Tuesday, 10/10, in the evening it is only 25% contained and
has burned approximately 7,500 acres. Dozens of residents are left sitting in
evacuation shelters set up in two nearby high schools and the evacuation
probably won’t be lifted until Wednesday. Some 5,000 structures are still under
the threat of the fire. Thankfully, the winds and weather began helping in the
effort with cooling temperatures and a thick morning marine layer.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency has authorized the use of federal money for the so-called Canyon Fire 2 and other California fires. Because various blazes hit the state at the same time, resources were strained.
