Prayers for you, your family, and everyone else in the fire zones.Hi everyone. Sorry for not checking in. It has been a busy stressful time, and I am very tired. My hubs and our 2 kids are still squished in at my sister's house with all the chickens, 2 cats, a dog, a house bun, parakeet and cockatiel!
Learned about the fires Sunday just before midnight. At 2:30am (Mon), woke hubs and asked him to confirm that I was not crazy and should we think about packing up. He saw the glow from the fire on the ridge above us to the east and shortly after where it had jumped the road to the south. The glow got brighter and we could hear the roar of the fire, but could not see flames. 3am we woke some neighbors and started packing up, animals first. 13 laying hens got thrown in the back of our small pickup under the camper shell. Everyone else and the necessary gear and supplies were being loaded when the official notice came to evacuate at 3:30am. We spent another hour trying to get things we wanted to save, and then headed out... a caravan of 4 vehicles and 3 licensed driversoops: well, the 16 yr old almost has his license) and drove over the hills in the dark to my sister's house, about 20 minutes away. You could see flames off in the distance. It looked very bad.
Monday night, the flames from the ridge were creeping down toward our neighborhood, so it was a restless night not knowing the outcome. Several large areas of houses had already been completely destroyed by the fire Sunday night, so it was a huge worry. Early Tues morning we got word that the amazing firefighters saved our neighborhood. Big relief, but not out of the woods yet, because on Wed, the fire flared up in Annadel State Park, which borders on our neighborhood to the north at the top of the ridge. We are on the valley floor. Very relieved again on Thurs morning to find that the wonderful firefighters saved our bacon a second time!They are amazing.
So here we are on Friday, hoping the danger is over for us, but knowing that this ordeal is not over for many people. Erratic strong winds and extremely dry conditions in hilly rugged terrain have created the worst fire storm in CA history. What started as one fire in Napa became 14 small fires in 3 counties. Most of those fires have merged into one huge fire, and several new ones have popped up in counties farther north. Estimates of 5700 homes burned... So far.
We have not been able to return to our neighborhood, which is frustrating, because I accidentally left a broody behind. She had water but no food, although the pop door is on auto timer and run by batteries (no power since Monday...dreading the refrigerator) so broody can get out of the run and go eat apples during the day if she's hungry. Stress and frustrations aside, we are so grateful that our house still stands, as does my dad's place up at the farm. So many people have lost so much. It is horrible.
This picture was taken Thursday around noon. The red is actually green trees, black shows burned grass. You can see how close it got to my neighborhood. (I'm on east side of Birch Dr.) The stripey looking pink fields are vineyards. To the far right are the white skeletons of burned houses on the eastern ridge above our neighborhood. Some 75 homes burned up there Sunday night. We didn't know it, but could hear muted explosions that were probably propane tanks. It all happened too quickly. The winds were horrible... aptly named the Diablo winds.
Oh, we tried to get home again today, denied by a very friendly county sheriff's deputy, who told me to contact the county animal control about my left behind broody. They send out people every day to care for pets left behind. So I called, and my broody was put on the list and was supposed to be checked on today. They will give her more water and put out some food. Hope they don't try to pet her, because that's the one I renamed Chomp!
Not sure when we will be allowed home, but hoping it will be soon. So does my poor sis, I think. She wants her house back!!
Goodnight all!
