I know that the danger seems to have passed, but I wanted to add some comments. I grew up in San Diego and lived there until 3 years ago.
I was there during the Cedar fire which burned 280,000 acres. During this time, I lived in a town called Santee which is in a small valley. We were completely surrounded by fires and it was terrifying, because there was one way out of the city. When I walked out of my home that day, the sky was dark and pink, and ash was falling like snow. Fifteen people died, some of whom were in their cars, in their driveways. They died less than 5 minutes after being told to evacuate. The fire was moving at a devastating pace. I worked at the Auto Club and took calls during this time from people who were trying to evacuate and had no gas or needed a jump start. All I could tell them was to hang up and call 911. I still hope that those people were able to make it out okay. People were being told to evacuate and reported that they were running out their front door with nothing, as the back of their house began to burn. 2,800 buildings were lost, and 2,200 of them were homes.
In 2007, I watched nearly the entire county burning again. During this fire, 500,000 people were evacuated from their homes during the first two days of the fires. One million people total were evacuated during the 19 days that the fires raged un-contained. Fourteen people died and 61 of the 85 people injured were firefighters. This fire burned an estimated 500,000 acres and 2300 structures were destroyed. These fires burned into the actual city. They were so desperate for help that they had non-violent prisoners and volunteer firefighters on scene. It actually burned a short way into Mexico. It was also burning 50 miles north in Camp Pendleton. It jumped the 15 and burned to cinders many of the building materials that they were using for lane expansions.
Both of these fires jumped the Interstate 15. The I15 in some of these areas is 15 lanes wide. If the fires can jump this freeway, it can jump your fire barrier. I admire you for making the effort to protect your home. It's responsible and so many people are in denial about their vulnerability. That being said, if you think you may be evacuated, prepare right away, and plan to take your animals with you. Don't try to hunker down. During the 2007 fire, four firefighters were injured trying to rescue 2 men from their home. It's not worth it. I think that this is something we should all be planning for. When we take responsibility for animals, we must plan on how we are going to keep them as safe as possible during emergencies. I know that sometimes the fire comes so fast that saving human lives is all that we can do. I get that. I also know that when people have to leave their animals behind, firefighters often set them free to give them the best chance for survival. Chickens are hearty, but they won't survive extreme heat or smoke inhalation.
I was there during the Cedar fire which burned 280,000 acres. During this time, I lived in a town called Santee which is in a small valley. We were completely surrounded by fires and it was terrifying, because there was one way out of the city. When I walked out of my home that day, the sky was dark and pink, and ash was falling like snow. Fifteen people died, some of whom were in their cars, in their driveways. They died less than 5 minutes after being told to evacuate. The fire was moving at a devastating pace. I worked at the Auto Club and took calls during this time from people who were trying to evacuate and had no gas or needed a jump start. All I could tell them was to hang up and call 911. I still hope that those people were able to make it out okay. People were being told to evacuate and reported that they were running out their front door with nothing, as the back of their house began to burn. 2,800 buildings were lost, and 2,200 of them were homes.
In 2007, I watched nearly the entire county burning again. During this fire, 500,000 people were evacuated from their homes during the first two days of the fires. One million people total were evacuated during the 19 days that the fires raged un-contained. Fourteen people died and 61 of the 85 people injured were firefighters. This fire burned an estimated 500,000 acres and 2300 structures were destroyed. These fires burned into the actual city. They were so desperate for help that they had non-violent prisoners and volunteer firefighters on scene. It actually burned a short way into Mexico. It was also burning 50 miles north in Camp Pendleton. It jumped the 15 and burned to cinders many of the building materials that they were using for lane expansions.
Both of these fires jumped the Interstate 15. The I15 in some of these areas is 15 lanes wide. If the fires can jump this freeway, it can jump your fire barrier. I admire you for making the effort to protect your home. It's responsible and so many people are in denial about their vulnerability. That being said, if you think you may be evacuated, prepare right away, and plan to take your animals with you. Don't try to hunker down. During the 2007 fire, four firefighters were injured trying to rescue 2 men from their home. It's not worth it. I think that this is something we should all be planning for. When we take responsibility for animals, we must plan on how we are going to keep them as safe as possible during emergencies. I know that sometimes the fire comes so fast that saving human lives is all that we can do. I get that. I also know that when people have to leave their animals behind, firefighters often set them free to give them the best chance for survival. Chickens are hearty, but they won't survive extreme heat or smoke inhalation.
