I grew up in Santa Barbara, CA. I remember fires happened occasionally while I was growing up. To give you an idea of the time period, I was there from the time I was a year old in the early 1970's - until I moved away in the early 1990's. I had heard stories of a fire that had occurred in the Montecito area. My Mom would reiterate the story of one of her friends saving their house by staying on their roof and hosing it down. If I remember the story right - most of the neighbor lost their homes, but he did not, due to keeping the roof wet all night.
I remember the Wheeler Gorge Fire in 1985, which was located near Ojai. It was a very hot summer. We were in the middle of a heat wave, and I remember ash raining down from that fire. At the time, I was a camp counselor/teacher for the Soroptomist Club's "Safety Town" which taught small children safety (fire safety, traffic safety, etc...) "Safety Town" was located at Peobody elementary School, in Santa Barbara. I remember watching the smoke rising over the mountains, and I remember us keeping the kids cool by spraying them with water sprayer bottles.
I also remember the Painted Cave Fire in 1990. I had just graduated from High School. I was working at The Limited at the La Cumbre Plaza Mall. I remember looking out the storefront windows, and not even being able to see the stores across the mall (about 50 feet away). We had no customers. And, then my mother showed up unexpectedly, and took me with her. She was freaking out because she had just learned that the fire had crossed the 101 freeway, and she was worried about her parents who lived near San Marcos High School. I went with her, and we tried to reach my grandparents house, but if I remember right (it's been a while) we were not allowed past. They were turning everyone around on Modoc. Many houses on Modoc did eventually burn. We went back home, and were able to reach my grandparents by phone. They were fine. The fire wasn't that close to them, thankfully. But, seeing where the fire had spread to, so quickly, was a rude awakening and was quite devastating to the community.
I moved away from Santa Barbara a couple years later. Over the years, I have watched fire after fire happen in the Santa Barbara area. It seems like there is a new one, or two, every year or so. I believe much of the land up in the mountains above Santa Barbara has burned multiple times. It's actually quite amazing how quickly some of the plants come back after a fire - only to burn in the next one.
Last year I visited my family in Santa Barbara & Ventura. Driving along the 101, you couldn't help but see the blackened hills, right on the other side of the freeway from the beautiful, scenic ocean. Depressing, I thought. Sad.
And now here we are in December. December...?! Isn't "Fire Season" over for the year? My god! I remember hearing a few years ago that "Fire Season" would now last ALL YEAR LONG in California. I remember being somewhat taken aback by that statement. But, here we are - living that statement. One of the largest fires I remember is burning right now, out of control, with only 15% containment - the "Thomas Fire".
The "Thomas Fire" started on December 4th near the Thomas Aquinas College near the small town of Santa Paula. It spread very quickly. My brother-in-law's parents, who own an avocado grove along with a neat old farmhouse, had to evacuate and stay with my sister and her husband, in Ventura. They didn't lose their house, but all their neighbors did. They think the avocado trees somehow buffered the fire from the house. Many of the trees burned. Not sure how many of them will come back. My sister had to evacuate her horse - twice, as she was busy taking care of animals at the vet clinic she works at.
I stayed up to 3 AM listening to the emergency scanner the other night - and, frankly, I sort of figured the firefighters would be getting a handle on the situation and we'd be seeing more containment of the fire. Afterall - there are MANY firefighters there from many different states! But, alas, this morning I started getting texts from my sister (in Ventura) and my father in santa Barbara - talking about people needing more animal crates to help with animal rescues - since the fire was spreading to Santa Barbara!
Here is one of the most recent maps I was able to find, although I'm not sure how accurate it is. This shows where fire has been detected.
Here is a current map of where the evacuation mandates are currently in the Santa Barbara area: The red areas are Mandatory, the orange areas are Voluntary/Be Ready to Leave at a Moment's Notice: This interactive map can be found at this link.
This is DEVASTATING! I've been glued to my computer, trying to get more info on Twitter. There are many varying maps - some look much more grim than others... Some people have been posting things like "Good Map of Fire". It's obvious that having some sort of official place to go to for the latest fire & evacuation info is very needed. With so many different agencies and jurisdictions overlapping each other, it's hard to find all the info in one place. People are scared. I see and sense it - all the way up here where I live in Oregon.
All I can do is hope and pray and wait, and remember all the wonderful memories and beautiful scenery down there in that area. My 10-year old daughter is most concerned about Carpenteria, because she remembers it as the best place to go boogie boarding. We have reassured her that the ocean won't burn, and the beach will still be there. Just not sure about everything else.
So far, the "Thomas Fire" has burned approx. 173,000 acres. Here is a link to an article about the 13 Worst Fires in California History. Obviously, they will need to edit that article now, since there is a new huge one to add to the list.
Stay safe everyone!
