fire escape

I know you are not supposed to yell "fire" in a crowded room, but that is what it feels like everyone is doing right now. Currently I am in lobby of a hotel in Rancho Cucamonga. There is a bar, and it is probably a good thing that I don't drink.

The fire that started around 10pm last night in Sylmar turned into quite a force. Almost 24 hours later, it is under 50% contained and over 500 people are now homeless.

Meanwhile A fire that started in Corona this morning, became the Yorba Linda fire when it crossed into the city limits. Across the freeway a brush fire started in Brea. It jumped the 57 freeway and joined the Yorba Linda party. They closed the 57 an exit up from us, and we decided it was time to leave town.

Actually we had already made plans to leave town. We just decided to leave town earlier and with a lot more stuff than one would take on an overnight stay.

I am still not sure how I didn't have a full on panic attack trying to figure out what to put in the car. You can answer the question all you want in theory, but when it comes down to it, you never really know what you would take if you thought there was even a possibility of coming back and finding your house had burned down.

I have my passport, and my social security card. I brought my Teddy Bear who is over 30 years old and has survived fire and even decapitation. My favorite clothes are all in the laundry basket - I left them. I am however, wearing my $80 bra.

Choices like these bring me back to that night in Chico. The night we left our father. The night we popped the screen from the second story window and tossed down our stuffed animals and clothes. In our haste we left our school shoes.

My mantra is, "we are safe, and that is all that matters." Things are just things, and can be replaced (for the most part).

From what we have seen on the news, the house should be safe. But where this fire heads is uncertain because of the winds. Even 15 miles away, we can see the red flames in the hills. It looks like an unhappy dragon, slithering around the hillside. Let's hope it is not too hungry. Homeless sucks.



on the night stand :: A Way Home