ID:50689
 
Keywords: news, videos
Thanks to all the well wishers.

So far so good: the wind shifted slightly this morning, pushing the fire to the west, towards Diamond Bar. Good for us, not so good for them. As a result, we ended up staying put for the day (except for a quick trip to the emergency vet for an insect bite or sting and a swollen dog face, but that's a different story), but ready to take off if the winds shift back. That remains a real possibility, so we continue to monitor the news, as well as the view outside, for the latest developments.

Here's a little timelapse movie I put together of the fire, going from about 9:00 yesterday morning to 3:00 this afternoon. The images come from a local webcam a couple of miles from where I live.

Slow version:


You can see that the air in Chino Hills remained pretty clear for most of both days as the wind kept the smoke from dispersing over us. However, just in the last couple of hours, we've finally gotten that familiar smoky haze that comes during wildfire season. Of course, that signals a shift in the wind, so who knows what comes next...
Hope you get through it in one peace.
Wow, although that fire looks cool, I couldn't take my eyes off the traffic lights. In that first video, it looks like so many people are running red lights.

If you haven't already, I suggest running out to buy insurance, just to be on the safe side.

Joking aside, good luck sir. Fires near homes are never fun.
Remember, with large fires it's not just a matter of getting out of the house in time. Plan out your trip out of town as well. The last thing you want is to leave in time only to find that your usual route is too smokey to drive through. If you're unprepared it can be very easy to get stuck with the road ahead and behind cut off.

Another good idea is packing some of those neon safety vests under your car seats. If you or your wife are looking for something to do to settle your nerves a bit grab an old backpack and start work on an emergency backpack for this sort of situation. Like a first aid kit but for stuff that forces you out of the house.
A lot of stuff is too bulky to go in the pack, is used straight away or needs to be fresh, so you'll also want to make a checklist to go with it for all that stuff. It sounds a little paranoid, but if I had to leave my house because of a fire odds are the last thing I would remember is to put my dog into her walking harness because she can slip right out of her collar.
I bet the smoke and haze is awful!